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Historical Memoirs 

OF THE 

Emperor Alexander I. 

AND 

The Court of Russia 




ALEXANDER I. 



Historical Memoirs 



OF THE 



Emperor Alexander I. 



AND 



The Court of Russia 

BY 

Madame la Comtesse de Choiseul-Gouffier 

Translated from the Original French 
By MARY BERENICE PATTERSON 

With an Introduction and Notes 




CHICAGO 

A. C. McCLURG & CO. 
1900 



TWO COPIES RECEIVED, 

Library of Cursgre«ifc 
Office of fb« 

M AV 7 - 1SQU 

iieijlittar of GepSfflgfoiS, 
SECOND COPY, 



.Cs4- 

Copyright, 
By A. C. McClurg & Co. 

A.D. 1900. 



58708 



Introductory Note 

TO THE AMERICAN TRANSLATION 

THE Comtesse de Choiseul-Gouffier, n^e Comtesse 
de Tisenhaus, was born at Vilna, in Russian 
Poland, in the closing decade of the eighteenth cen- 
tury. Her father was a wealthy landed proprietor of 
Polish descent. Of the family history of the Com- 
tesse de Tisenhaus we know but little apart from 
what these pages reveal to us. Her family had been 
intimate in the court circles of Catherine II. and 
Paul I. ; and Alexander I., upon his accession to the 
throne of Russia, continued to honor the Comte de 
Tisenhaus with his friendship. However, the comte 
shared the hope of a large number of his countrymen 
that Napoleon would recognize the rights of Poland 
and give it once more an independent, united national 
existence. To this end a delegation of Polish nobles 
waited on Napoleon at Vilna, on the twenty-eighth 
of June, 1812. He showed them but scant courtesy, 
and gave them no hope that he would aid in the 
realization of their wishes. Nevertheless, the Poles 
continued to look to Bonaparte as their only friend. 
It is stated on undoubted authority that besides the 
sixty thousand Poles in the French army a hundred 
thousand implored permission to raise the standard 

v 



Introductory Note 

of independence and garrison Poland as the out- 
post of Europe against Russian aggression. 1 Among 
those who thus deserted the Russian emperor was 
the Comte de Tisenhaus. In this juncture it fell to 
the lot of the author of these Memoirs to preserve 
the family estates from sequestration. The comtesse, 
up to the time of her first meeting with Alexander, 
shared her father's distrust of the czar; but after 
meeting him, she, in common with many others, was 
impressed with Alexander's frankness, energy, and 
nobility of character. This impression, upon a more 
extended and more intimate acquaintance, deepened 
into a loyal and devoted friendship on the part of 
the subject, which was returned by the emperor. 
Refined and delicate sympathy, combined with a 
singularly engaging and open mind and a respectful 
admiration of the personal qualities of Alexander, 
gave to the friendship of Comtesse de Tisenhaus the 
qualities most valued by the czar. 

The political intrigues between Napoleon and the 
Poles, and especially the requirement on the part of 
Bonaparte that Alexander should carry out the Con- 
tinental blockade against England, from which Russia 
was suffering grievously, caused Alexander to ter- 
minate the peace which had existed between Russia 
and France since the signing of the treaty of Tilsit, 
July seventh, 1807. 1 To this end he massed his 
troops on the western border of Russian Poland in 
March, 181 2, and made his headquarters at Towiany. 
Here, on April twenty-seventh, Mile, de Tisenhaus 

1 Russia. Morfill. 
vi 



Introductory Note 

first met Alexander ; and the volume before us tells 
us the story of the friendship that existed between 
them until his death at Taganrog, December first, 
1825. 

The comtesse married the French savant, M. de 
Choiseul-Gouffier, and resided thenceforth in Paris. 
This gentleman belonged to one of the first families 
of France. His youth had been passed in various 
European capitals, where his father, Comte Marie- 
Gabriel-Florens- Auguste-de- Choiseul-Gouffier, had 
held important positions ; notably that of ambas- 
sador to Constantinople, where he had successfully 
established the influence of France. While there 
the comte declined the office of ambassador to the 
Court of St. James, preferring to remain at Con- 
stantinople. At the outbreak of the Revolution 
he adhered to the king, and was proscribed by the 
revolutionary government. He retired to Russia, 
where he was a favorite with Paul I., who nomi- 
nated him as Privy Councillor and Director of the 
Academie des Beaux Arts, and of the Bibliotheque 
Imperiale. The comte returned to France in 1802, 
and after the restoration Louis XVIII. appointed him 
Minister of State and Peer of the Realm. Notwith- 
standing the busy life he had lived, the comte found 
opportunities for exercising his literary tastes, and is 
remembered as the author of several important 
treatises ; among others a magnificent work entitled 
" A Picturesque Journey in Greece," elegantly illus- 
trated, which won him an election to the Academy 
of Inscriptions and the French Academy. 



Introductory Note 

A book, as well as a person, has a history, and it 
is only to be regretted that the first has no means 
of telling its story. We may imagine what obstacles 
it encountered before it became a book and entered 
its own world ; what vicissitudes it passed through 
in that world ; how by some it was valued, and by 
others laid on a dark shelf to be covered by dust 
till, perchance, a stranger greeted it and recognized 
its value, or picked it up only to cast it into some 
other corner. So this volume has had its history. 
Three years after the death of Alexander, Mme. de 
Choiseul-Gouffier published in Paris her " Memoires 
Historiques sur l'Empereur Alexandre et la Cour 
de Russie." From the date of its publication this 
work was recognized as an authority on the life 
of Alexander L, and as a source of reliable and val- 
uable information on the conditions and customs 
prevailing in Russia at the time of Napoleon's in- 
vasion. It was also prized for its descriptions of 
St. Petersburg and Csarzko-Selo. 

It was not long until the edition was exhausted ; 
but before that time arrived historical and biograph- 
ical writers had made copious extracts from the 
book, and had even based their articles on the facts 
therein contained. Among others, M. de Lamartine 
drew from it liberally in his " Histoire de Russie." 
M. Dumas owned his indebtedness to it in his 
" Maitre d' Armes." Not only did students of Russia 
and her affairs turn to the pages of the Souvenir, 
but readers eager for every detail of information 
about Napoleon and his ill-fated campaign welcomed 



Introductory Note 

the comtesse's contribution. After the first edition 
had been exhausted, numerous requests came to 
her for a new issue of the work. She tells us in 
the preface to the new edition that when she finally 
determined to accede to these requests she was un- 
able to procure a copy of the first edition of the 
book either in the Imperial libraries of France and 
Russia, or to find one in the possession of her family. 
As a result of its rarity the work itself has been little 
known ; quoted and referred to it has been by many, 
but chiefly at second-hand. This alone can account 
for its not having been translated into English at an 
earlier date, for it is surprisingly interesting, bright, 
and companionable, and of unquestioned historical 
accuracy. It gives a lively picture of the thought 
and manner of a day separated from ours by nearly 
a century. It tells of a nation's hopes rising to vig- 
orous life only to be disappointed and ultimately 
destroyed. 

The translation here offered to English readers 
has been made from the first edition as it came from 
the author's hand. The first three chapters as now 
published did not appear in the second edition 
issued in 1862. The reason for this omission was 
probably a twofold one. In the first place, the in- 
formation they contained was not first-hand. The 
account of the author's personal reminiscences be- 
gins with Chapter IV., which, in the second edition, 
is Chapter I. The second reason lay in the re- 
monstrance of those persons who took exception 
to the author's view that the conspirators led by 

ix 



Introductory Note 

Comte Pahlen had killed Paul I. For a consider- 
able period of time after the sudden death of Em- 
peror Alexander I., the nature of his father's death 
was a matter of dispute. Emperor Paul's well- 
known infirmity of mind, and consequent physical 
debility, caused a party at court to affirm that 
his death was the result of a stroke of apoplexy. 
Defenders of this view quoted the certificate of 
death issued by Alexander's surgeon, Dr. Wylie, 
who embalmed the body of the deceased emperor, 
and stated that he died from the effects of apoplexy. 
The surgeon is further quoted as saying that, allow- 
ing for the injuries caused by the mode of death, 
the state of his brain rendered it highly probable 
that he would have soon died of apoplexy. 1 At 
this writing the unanimous opinion of historians is 
that Emperor Paul was assassinated, and that the 
view of the case graphically narrated by the com- 
tesse is historically correct. 

The Publishers consider it a privilege to present 
the first translation into the English language of these 
remarkable Memoirs, and they do so with the con- 
fident hope that the public will welcome the lively 
and noble picture which is here given of one who 
did not a little to deserve the title of " Restorer of 
the Peace of Europe." 

Chicago, February, 1900. 

1 Life and Times of Alexander I. By C. Joyneville. 



Publisher's Note 

TO THE FIRST FRENCH EDITION 



HISTORICAL memoirs have been the fashion 
for about ten years. This has become a fixed 
phenomenon, and a phenomenon the more remark- 
able on account of the countless volumes which, to 
use the expression of a modern writer, " show history 
en deshabille" and are generally written on the same 
plan, woven from the same material, produced by the 
same passions, and, one might say, formed in the 
same mould. 

The long convalescence from that delirious fever 
called the French Revolution ; the brilliant period of 
military glory which followed the first years of a 
restoration which has not given all it promised, — 
such is the theme which a thousand writers of our day 
have seen fit to amplify, almost always with talent, 
but which they have often misrepresented without 
scruple. These memoirs have been sought after and 
devoured, because nearly all, with very few excep- 
tions, were clever, and wit is a seasoning which will 
always overcome satiety and nausea. The readers of 
this kind of literature may well repeat from Parney : 

" Nous rebrodons de vieux habits, 
Dont l'e'toffe est toujours la meme." 
xi 



Publisher's Note 

But the brilliancy of the embroidery is attractive; 
and the publishers do not weary of selling the repe- 
titions which the public are never tired of buying. 
But here is the reverse, the other side of the medal, 
which we print to-day. 

The Memoirs of the Comtesse de Choiseul-Gouffier 
are written in our language by a Polish hand. They 
are not even our own inspirations. One feels that 
this work is of a different stamp, that it gives other 
opinions, reflects other manners, — in a word, it has 
quite a different physiognomy. Not that the hyper- 
borean influence of the forests of Lithuania is felt. 
Madame de Choiseul has known how to find at Vilna 
that delicate touch which distinguishes the produc- 
tions of the fair sex under all latitudes. Her pictures 
possess no less warmth than charm of originality. 

The affection — perhaps we ought to say the ten- 
derness — which the author of these Memoirs avows 
for the Emperor Alexander is carried almost to ado- 
ration. One might believe that Madame de Choiseul 
in painting the Russian autocrat had drawn her ad- 
miration from the same source from which M. de Las 
Cases drew his colors for his panegyric on Napoleon. 
To praise men thus, even when they have been 
crowned, doubtless savors of exaggeration; but in 
the work which we present to the public we find 
that praise is kept constantly subservient to the strict 
truth. 

The Emperor Alexander is kept constantly before 
us, and by his own utterances he paints his own por- 
trait in the Memoirs of which he is the hero. After 
having read them one will retain an exact idea of the 
character of this prince, whom the bold audacity of a 

xii 



Publisher's Note 

very illustrious man has placed in the very first rank 
of modern celebrities. 

This book of Madame de Choiseul-Gouffier's will 
be read with avidity in the salons of the Faubourg 
Saint-Germain, where one lives on old aristocratic 
memories. Young France will, nevertheless, be satis- 
fied with the concessions which the author has made 
to new ideas, and especially with the romantic touch 
happily imparted by her style. 

Finally, history may gather many a fact thus far 
unknown from these Memoirs which we publish. 
They contain new details concerning the assassination 
of Paul I.; the conduct of Alexander during and 
after the conspiracy which gave him the empire; 
what took place during the campaign of 1812; the 
attitude of the Congress of Vienna when it learned 
that in the month of March, 181 5, Napoleon had 
escaped from the Island of Elba and returned to 
France; and concerning the tragic death of Alex- 
ander, which the author leaves covered with a 
transparent veil. 



Author's Preface 



THREE years have hardly passed since that 
event occurred which plunged Russia into 
sorrow and mourning, and already two lives of the 
Emperor Alexander have appeared. 

Without pretending to attack the merit of those 
works, I will take the liberty of saying that, being 
'devoted almost entirely to the description of political 
events and of the memorable struggle between two 
of the greatest powers of Europe, they have done 
little to show the character of the monarch who played 
so important a role in those events. They have given 
only an imperfect view of Alexander, the august 
adversary of a man who showed himself only in a 
few respects greater than his virtuous rival. 

In the first transport of grief with which I was 
inspired by the death of my sovereign, that prince 
whose noble and touching character I have had the 
happiness to know and to admire, I attempted to 
recall the virtues whose loss I deplore. But whether 
an acute and recent sorrow excited my imagination 
too much, or I was carried away by the grandeur of 
the subject, I soon saw that the tone adopted in the 
work could not be sustained by my feeble talents, and 
would not even be suitable to the history. 

xv 



Author's Preface 

Abandoning this fruitless effort, how I wished that 
the distinguished writer whose gifted pen alone is 
worthy of interpreting the religion of kings would 
undertake a subject so worthy of him ! Certain har- 
monious accents which reached my ear gave me 
hope that my prayers would be heard. But the voice 
was stilled, and my desires were changed to regrets. 

Still, in meditating, whether in the silence of soli- 
tude or amid the commotion of cities and of courts, 
upon the beautiful life of Alexander, I have felt that 
I could render little justice to the eminent virtues of 
that prince in supposing that great talent alone was 
worthy of rendering homage to them and of making 
them known to posterity. Facts speak for them- 
selves ; and those which pertain to the fame of this 
august personage have a charm so pathetic that a 
grateful heart is pained in recording them. There- 
fore I venture to flatter myself that sensitive minds 
upon whom the cold influence of the times have not 
exerted a blasting influence may read with interest 
my recollections of the noble and generous qualities 
of the sovereign who merited the love and gratitude, 
not only of his own subjects, but of all Europe. 



xvi 



Table of Contents 



Page 

Introductory Note to the American Translation v 

Publishers' Note to the First French Edition . xi 

Author's Preface xv 

List of Illustrations xxi 

Chapter ^ 

I. The First Years of Alexander. — Con- 
spiracy in the Palace. — Death of 

Paul 1 23 

II. Alexander's Ascension to the Throne of 

Russia. — First Years of his Reign . . 43 

III. Return of Alexander to St. Petersburg 

after the Treaty of Tilsit. — The In- 
terview at Erfurt 60 

IV. Events of the Campaign of 1812 in Russia. 

— Sojourn of Alexander in Lithuania. 

— Anecdotes 66 

V. Marbonne. — Festivities Given at Vilna 

in Honor of Alexander. — Several 

Episodes 84 

VI. Entrance of the French Army into 
Vilna. — Anecdotes. — The Situation in 

Lithuania 96 

VII. Presentation of Lithuanian Ladies to 
Napoleon : the Author is one of the 
Number. — Conversation with that Sov- 
ereign. — Festivities 106 

xvii 



Table of Contents 



Chapter 

vilT 

IX. 



x. 



XI. 



XII. 



XIII. 



XIV. 



XV. 



XVI. 



XVII. 



XVIII. 



XIX. 



Page 

The Emperor Alexander Leaves his Army. 
— His Return to St. Petersburg . . 113 

Terrors at St. Petersburg. — The Duke 
of Bassano at Vilna. — The Retreat 
of the French Army 116 

Horrible Condition of the French Pris- 
oners of War. — Cossack Plunderers 
in a Friendly Country. — Anecdote . 126 

Return of the Emperor Alexander to 
Vilna. — Conversations of this Prince 
with the Author. — Festivities . . . 131 

Festival in Honor of Alexander. — Bar- 
barous Homage Declined by the Em- 
peror 143 

Solicitude of Alexander for the French 
Prisoners. — The Emperor Leaves 
Vilna 146 

Particulars. — Vain Hopes of the Poles. 
— Death of Kotousoff. — Military 
Events 158 

Invasion of France, Entrance of the 
Allies into Paris. — Generous Con- 
duct of Alexander 164 

Singular Proofs of Confidence Given to 
Alexander by the Parisians. — Various 
Particulars 170 

Journey of Alexander to England and 
Holland after the Treaty of 1814. — 
Return to St. Petersburg. — Solem- 
nities 181 

The Emperor Refuses the Surname of 
the Blessed. — Honors and Rewards 
to the Russian Soldiers and to the 
Citizens. — Prudent Measures . . . 188 

Congress of Vienna. — Diplomatic In- 
trigues. — Amazement Caused by the 
Return of Napoleon to Paris . . . 193 
xviii 



Table of Contents 



Chapter Page 

XX. Campaign of 1815. — Second Invasion of 
France. — Alexander's Moderation 

TOWARD THE FRENCH. — He MAKES HIM- 
SELF their Protector against the 
Cupidity of the other Allies . . . 201 

XXL Alexander, King of Poland. — Festivities 
at Warsaw. — Return of the Emperor 
to his Capital 206 

XXII. Expulsion of the Jesuits from the Rus- 
sian Empire. — Example of Great 
Severity against Pillage. — Journey 
of Alexander to Warsaw. — Festiv- 
ities. — Rejoicings and Particulars . 220 

XXIII. Sojourn at Warsaw. — Festivities. — Con- 

versations of the Emperor with the 
Author 233 

XXIV. Departure of the Author for France. — 

Estimate of the French. — Fawning 
Policy of the French Cabinet. — 
Alexander's Opinion on the Situation 
of France. — Divers Particulars . . 239 

XXV. New Journey of Alexander to Vilna. — 
Conversations with the Author. — 
Political Views and Opinions of the 
Emperor. — One Word Concerning the 
Congress of Verona and the War 
with Spain 248 

XXVI. Illness of the Emperor. — Journey of 
the Author to St. Petersburg. — De- 
scription of that Capital and its 
Environs 259 

XXVII. Princely Hospitality. — Renewed Inter- 
views with the Emperor. — Alex- 
ander's Occupations in the Coun- 
try. — Portrait of the Empress 

Elizabeth 267 

xix 



Table of Contents 

Chapter Page 

XXVIII. The Empress-Mother.— The Illustrious 
Godfather. — The Emperor's Depres- 
sion of Spirits: its Principal Cause. 
— Sad Presentiments. — Alexander's 

Departure for Siberia 279 

XXIX. A few New Details regarding the 
Empress- M other : her Love for Lit- 
erature and the Arts: her Institu 

tions 292 

XXX. A Description of the Inundation of 
St. Petersburg. — Alexander's Soli- 
citude. — Journey of the Emperor 
to Taganrog. — His Death. — Con- 
clusion 299 



INDEX 309 



xx 



List of Illustrations 



Alexander I Frontispiece 

Empress Elizabeth To face page 26 

Count Bennigsen 56 

General Kotousoff 124 

Grand Duke Constantine 246 



HISTORICAL MEMOIRS 



OF THE 



EMPEROR ALEXANDER I. 



AND 



THE COURT OF RUSSIA 



CHAPTER I 

ALEXANDER was born in 1777. His earl y 
years rapidly developed in this young prince 
the happy disposition which he had received from 
nature. All seemed in harmony in the noble child, 
who was destined to occupy one of the most important 
thrones in Europe and a brilliant place in history. 
The remarkable beauty of his person corresponded 
with that of his mind and seemed to be an emana- 
tion from it. The invariable sweetness of his char- 
acter made him the object of universal adoration 
from his tenderest infancy, and the dearest hopes 
of that powerful empire of Russia were fixed upon 
him. 

The Empress Catherine had such a strong affection 
for her grandson that it is said she proposed to re- 
move her own son, the unfortunate Paul Petrowitz, 
from the throne and to appoint Alexander as her 
successor. At that time hereditary succession to the 

23 



Historical Memoirs of the 

throne of Russia was not the invariable rule, the 
law of primogeniture not having been established till 
the following reign. Moreover, nothing could daunt 
the genius of Catherine, accustomed to see every- 
thing bend to her will. She even wished to preside 
alone over the prince's education. If the rare quali- 
ties which have been seen in Alexander could leave 
anything more to be desired, it would have been 
that the august grandmother of the prince had re- 
tained the right to watch over the first impressions 
of her grandson — in the midst of a court elegant 
and polished indeed, but without morals — with that 
vigilant sagacity, that clear firmness of principle, of 
which she has given so many proofs. 

It is difficult to say what power such lessons in 
wisdom would have had over the mind of such a 
youth, given by that incomparable princess who 
consecrated her life to the welfare of humanity. 

However, the choice which the empress made in 
the perspn of Colonel La Harpe 1 as preceptor of 
the youn'g duke, was calculated to calm maternal 
solicitude a;id satisfy the expectations of the nation. 
The wise instructor found in the august pupil con- 
fided to his care the happiest natural gifts. To 
perfect the work of nature and to accomplish the 
task committed to him, he endeavored to cultivate 
and develop the amiable and charming disposition 
of his young pupil. 

Possessed of a warm and affectionate heart, Alex- 

1 Frederic Cesar de La Harpe (born in the Pays de Vaud 1754, 
died 1838). From 1790 to 1800 he was the chief or most powerful 
director of the Helvetic Republic. In 1814 Alexander gave him the 
rank of general in his army. He wrote several treatises on Swiss 
politics. 



Emperor Alexander I. 

ander conceived a devoted attachment for this esti- 
mable man, who had consecrated his time and care 
to him, and he always regarded his instructor as a 
sure and faithful friend. 

Alexander loved to learn. He had a remarkable 
memory and quick, penetrating, and refined percep- 
tions. In his early years he showed a taste for mili- 
tary science, occupying himself zealously with what 
he was pleased to call his service, following exactly 
and observing punctually the strictest discipline and 
subordination. He possessed in a high degree the 
love of order and work. That which one could not 
help most admiring in him was the perfect evenness 
of his temper, a quality very rare and very valuable 
in a sovereign, which had for its source the goodness 
of his heart. Nothing could change the sweet ben- 
evolence which showed itself in his face as well as in 
his actions. 

Alexander spoke several languages, especially 
French, with elegance and fluency. His manners 
were charming. A certain timidity was noticeable 
in his early youth. No one ever possessed to a 
greater degree the happy gift of gaining all hearts ; 
and no one, I am sure, could have seen Alexander 
and heard him speak without saying to himself, 
" How happy I should be to call this man my 
friend ! " 

When Alexander was scarcely more than a youth 
the Empress Catherine, fearing for him that danger- 
ous period of life, decided to put a curb on his pas- 
sions by submitting him, still so young, to the sacred 
ties of marriage, — an imprudence which influenced, 
more than is generally known, the future and jjx- 

25 



Historical Memoirs of the 

ward happiness of this prince and of his interesting 
spouse. 

According to the usage established at the Rus- 
sian court, three young German princesses were 
brought and submitted to the critical scrutiny of 
Catherine, who was to choose from them a consort 
for her grandson. The choice was determined, it 
is said, in a very singular manner, and simple chance 
served Catherine as happily as the clear judgment 
of that princess could have done after a thorough 
investigation. 

Seated at a window of the imperial palace, the 
czarina saw the young princesses arrive, who, by 
the way, were all remarkably good-looking. Cath- 
erine observed that the first one to leave the car- 
riage descended with too much haste; she augured 
ill from such precipitation. The next caught her 
foot in the train of her dress and almost fell. " How 
stupid ! how awkward ! " exclaimed the empress. 
Finally the third descended with perfect composure 
and dignity. "That is she who will be the grand 
duchess ! " exclaimed Catherine. 

This was Elizabeth of Baden. 1 Her face confirmed 
the empress in her first impression, and charmed the 
young grand duke. 

Very much in love with his young bride, Alex- 
ander enjoyed in her society and cultivated mind 
and the tenderness which she felt for him all that 
could ameliorate the hard lot to which he was con- 

1 Elizabeth Alexievna (born 1779, died 1826). Her maiden name 
was Louisa Maria Augusta. In 1793 sne became the consort of 
Alexander. Her character is represented as having been very 
amiable. 

26 




EMPRESS ELIZABETH. 



Emperor Alexander I. 

demned after the death of the Empress Catherine, 
and the accession of his father to the throne. Long 
continued mental suffering had hardened the char- 
acter of Paul I., although he was naturally possessed 
of a clear mind and a sensitive heart. 

The fatal disposition of his mind to suspicion, and 
the excessive irritability of his temper so long held 
in passive submission, knew no restraint after he had 
attained sovereign power. Time only increased his 
unhappy passions, and in those moments when every- 
thing was to be feared from their violence, from 
which even his family fled, Alexander, who alone 
knew how to oppose with respectful firmness the 
will of the emperor, sometimes succeeded in calm- 
ing the mind suffering from an incurable disease. 
Devoured by that ardent and suspicious imagina- 
tion which pictured to him constant dangers and 
secret enemies, the unfortunate monarch was his 
own greatest enemy, and he ended by making him- 
self the victim of his own morbid suspicions. 

Exiles increased to a frightful extent. Terror 
reigned everywhere, — at court, in the towns, in the 
army, and even in the most remote provinces of 
the empire. No one could flatter himself that on 
account of the prudence of his conduct he was safe 
from arrest. No one could count on the morrow. 
The arrival of a courier of the cabinet in the most 
distant part of the country caused universal terror. 
Each one, trembling, asked himself, " Is this fatal 
order for me?" and thought he saw the kibitka 
ready to transport him to Siberia. 

An involuntary forgetfulness of the rigorous eti- 
quette observed at court, the neglecting to wear a 

27 



Historical Memoirs of the 

costume prescribed by the emperor, the least negli- 
gence in military service was sufficient to bring 
down upon one's self the displeasure of the emperor 
and the pain of banishment; and Siberia was being 
peopled by exiles of illustrious names. 

Among the foreigners of distinction to be found 
at St. Petersburg was Count Choiseul-Gouffier, for- 
merly ambassador at Constantinople; and he had 
been loaded with favors by the Emperor Paul, whose 
generosity also knew no limit. This count suddenly 
received an order to retire to Lithuania, to those 
estates which he held through the munificence of 
the emperor, and to leave St. Petersburg within 
twenty-four hours. Not being able to explain to 
himself the cause of his disgrace, Count Choiseul 
sent his son to ask Pahlen, governor of St. Peters- 
burg, for a passport. Pahlen was at the parade 
when the messenger arrived, but returned soon. 
Perceiving Mons. Choiseul, he pushed the servant 
who came to take his hat and sword brusquely 
aside, and exclaimed in an agitated voice, " My 
dear sir, I am in despair at what has happened 
to your family. This cannot go on ! It is time to 
put an end to it." M. de Choiseul, although ex- 
tremely young, was much struck by this imprudent 
speech, and by the singular expression of Pahlen's 
face as he allowed those remarkable words to 
escape him. Eighteen months later, the Emperor 
Paul was dead, was assassinated. 

It would perhaps not be out of place to introduce 
here that profound dissembler who played such an 
important role in this conspiracy that it might be 
said he was the author of it. 

28 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Count Pahlen, 1 a gentleman of Courland, entered 
the Russian army very young, and during the reign 
of Catherine II. reached the rank of major general. 
He owed the place of civil governor of Riga to the 
protection of the favorite Zouboff. The Emperor 
Paul, some time after ascending the throne, passed 
through Riga, was pleased with Pahlen, and ordered 
him to come to St. Petersburg. Paul, with that precip- 
itancy which characterized all his actions, loaded the 
new favorite with dignities, gifts, and honors. He ap- 
pointed him chief of his guards and governor of St. 
Petersburg, decorated him with the highest orders of 
the empire, and presented him with large estates in 
Courland, his own country. 

The soul of Pahlen knew too well how to forget 
benefits received. He kept up secret relations with 
the Zouboffs, his old protectors, and concerted with 
them the fall of the prince who had been so generous 
to him, and who had elevated him to so high a posi- 
tion. The motive to such black ingratitude is found 
in the immoral character of Pahlen : he loved pleasure 
to excess. He was a bad officer, moreover, and suc- 
cumbed under the weight of the military details with 
which the emperor charged him, as well as under the 
tedium of the minute reports he was obliged to make 
every day concerning the private life, actions, and 
words of the inhabitants of St. Petersburg. 

Being as prudent as he was perfidious, he tried to 
run as little risk as possible in the conspiracy, and to 
put himself at the head of it with great circumspec- 

1 Count Pierre de Pahlen (born in Livonia, 1744, died at Mittau, 
1826), was at one time Ambassador to Stockholm, and Governor of 
Courland. 

29 



Historical Memoirs of the 

tion ; he therefore associated in the enterprise only 
friends upon whom he could rely with perfect confi- 
dence. Platon Zouboff, 1 the bitterest enemy of Paul, 
to whom that prince had had the imprudence to leave 
the immense possessions acquired in the preceding 
reign, seemed to Pahlen the fittest instrument to 
employ in a plot in which the former favorite of 
Catherine found an opportunity to satisfy his feelings 
of personal hatred and revenge ; moreover, Zouboff 
having been a long time in favor, had preserved 
many of his relations with the court, and his brother 
Valerian was always surrounded by unprincipled 
persons ready to serve in all sorts of crimes. 

Pahlen, being pretty sure of ZoubofFs readiness to 
second his views, showed a desire to form an alliance 
with him, and that he might be released from exile 
to his estates, to which he had been condemned, 
Pahlen advised him to feign a wish to marry the 
daughter of Koutaisoff, another favorite of Paul's. 

The emperor had suddenly raised this Koutaisoff, a 
little Turkish slave, his barber, to be one of the most 
important personages of the empire, giving him the ti- 
tle of count, and loading him with favors. Koutaisoff 
soon received a letter from Zouboff, asking his daugh- 
ter in marriage. Delighted with the honor, he carried 
this epistle to the emperor and throwing himself at his 
feet, begged the emperor not to put any obstacle in 
the way of his daughter's good fortune by refusing 
Zouboff permission to return to St. Petersburg. 

1 Platon Zouboff (Zubov) (born 1767, died 1822) became, in 1791, 
a favorite of Empress Catherine II., who appointed him Grand 
Master of the Artillery. He was the most powerful Russian subject 
until the death of Catherine (1796), after which he was disgraced. 

30 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Paul accorded this favor without hesitation, saying 
that this project of Zouboffs was the only sensible 
idea of his whole life. 

Zouboff agreed perfectly with Pahlen's plans. The 
latter first made himself sure of a part of the guards ; 
for, unfortunately, Paul, by imposing excessive duty, 
by painful reproaches, and by severe punishments, 
had alienated that corps, which had seen many a de- 
fection take place in the palace without the shedding 
of blood. 

The real purpose of the conspiracy, at least so the 
conspirators pretended, did not go so far as to de- 
prive the emperor of his life. It was proposed, they 
said, to compel him to sign an act of abdication, by 
which he should consent to resign the crown into the 
hands of the heir, the Grand Duke Alexander, reserv- 
ing to himself the liberty to fix his residence either 
in the environs of St. Petersburg, or in one of the 
provinces of the empire, or even out of Russia in 
whatever country he should choose. 

Pahlen and the other conspirators knew perfectly 
well that to remove the ruler of a vast empire, with- 
out assuring it of a successor, was an impossible proj- 
ect, and not to be thought of. Knowing, on the 
other hand, the noble character of Alexander, they 
had little hope that he would accept the regency. 

Pahlen believed that the only means to reach his 
end was to cause a division in the imperial family, 
between father and children, between husband and 
wife, and to induce the emperor to subject his own 
family to cruelty, injustice, and persecution. 

At length one of the conspirators, stung by re- 
morse or perhaps apprehensive of the consequences 

3i 



Historical Memoirs of the 

of an enterprise so horrible, without wishing to be- 
tray his accomplices, revealed the conspiracy by an 
anonymous letter. Filled with the greatest alarm, 
Paul sent immediately for Pahlen. The latter, who 
was prepared for this interview (some say that it was 
Pahlen himself who revealed the secret) and had his 
answer ready, presented himself before his master 
with the most perfect coolness, listened without show- 
ing the slightest emotion to the violent words of 
menace, anger, and fury which Paul poured forth, the 
sound of which would have terrified a culprit less 
hardened. At these words of the emperor, " A con- 
spiracy has been formed against me, and you, the 
governor of St. Petersburg, you are ignorant of it ! " 
Pahlen answered, " Pardon me, sire, I am not only 
not ignorant of it, but I am the more certain that it 
exists as I have a part in it." At these astonishing 
words the emperor's countenance showed anxiety, 
doubt, and surprise. " Yes, sire," continued Pahlen, 
with the same imperturbability, " all the members of 
this conspiracy are known to me. I am of their 
number, but it is to serve you, to protect your life. 
None of those guilty ones can escape my vigilance 
or the justice of your Imperial Majesty. These 
madmen rush to their own ruin in meditating 
yours." 

"Who are they?" cried Paul, whose excitement 
increased with each word of his perfidious confidant. 

" Sire, prudence forbids me to name them, but 
after that which I have had the honor to reveal to 
your Majesty, dare I flatter myself that you will ac- 
cord me your entire confidence and rely upon my 
zeal to guard your safety?" 

32 



Emp 



eror Alexander I. 



This mysterious language had only the effect of 
exciting still more the ardent curiosity of the em- 
peror, whose mind, misled by mistrust, presumed to 
fix his odious suspicion on his virtuous spouse, on 
his respectful and submissive son. " Who are they ? " 
repeated Paul, with vehemence. "Who are they? I 
will know ! " " Sire," said Pahlen, bowing his head, 
" reverence prevents me from revealing the illustrious 
names — " " I understand," replied Paul, in a muffled 
voice, and as if suffocated with painful emotion. " The 
empress — " continued he, fixing his penetrating eyes 
on Pahlen. Pahlen did not reply. " The Grand 
Dukes Alexander and Constantine ? " Pahlen an- 
swered only by silence. The emperor was also 
silent; but silence on his part portended a storm. 

An order to arrest the heir to the throne and his 
royal brother was the first act of the father, who be- 
lieved himself betrayed by all whom he had held 
most dear. "As to the Empress Marie," 1 added Paul, 
in a menacing tone, " I will dispose of her Majesty 
myself." The grand dukes were to be conducted to 
the fortress of . . ., and the empress shut up in a 
monastery. 

In depriving himself thus of the surest supports of 
the throne and of his own life, this unfortunate prince 
delivered himself with blind confidence into the hands 
of the traitor who was to decide his fate. " Good 
and faithful Pahlen," he said to the latter, "I leave 
everything to thee ; watch over thy master, I pray 
thee." Saying these words, he opened his arms, and 

1 Marie Feodorovna (born 1725, died 1828) was a princess of 
Wiirtemberg. Her maiden name was Sophia Dorothea. In 1776 
she married Paul. 

3 33 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Pahlen had the assurance to receive that mark of 
affection from his confiding sovereign, whose days 
were already numbered in the depths of his heart. 

After leaving the emperor, Pahlen hastened to 
join the other conspirators, and having assembled 
them, he said to those of the band who were the least 
hardened, in order to revive their fury : " The secret 
is out. He is still ignorant, however, of the names of 
those connected with our enterprise ; but who can tell 
if a new traitor may not reveal to him the whole plan 
of our undertaking? If life is dear to you, believe 
me we must hasten to finish our work, hasten to effect 
the deliverance of our country ! " That traitor of 
whom he spoke was no other than himself. This 
man, it has been proved, cherished the double proj- 
ect of betraying either his sovereign or the accom- 
plices of his treason, according to the chances offered 
him. In case of some unforeseen event, and if at the 
decisive moment fortune declared itself against the 
conspirators, his plan was to arrest the culpable and 
say to the emperor, " Sire, you are saved. My task 
is accomplished ! " 

After agreeing upon some measures dictated by 
prudence, the conspirators decided upon a time to 
accomplish their crime. 

Having taken leave of them, Pahlen, armed with 
the fatal order which the emperor had just given 
him, went to the palace of the Grand Duke Alexan- 
der. Being introduced immediately into the presence 
of the young prince, he bowed profoundly, feigning 
despondency, and informed the grand duke of the 
decree of the emperor. " What ! " cried Alexander, 
" his Imperial Majesty, my father, will deprive me of 

34 



Emperor Alexander I. 

my liberty ! What crime have I committed to bring 
this punishment upon myself? " " Your Imperial 
Highness is not ignorant of the fact," said Pahlen, bow- 
ing again, " that here, unfortunately, one sometimes 
incurs the chastisement without having committed the 
offence." At these words the grand duke gave Pah- 
len a severe look. After a few moments of silence, 
Alexander said : " The emperor is master of my fate ; 
I submit to him. Show me the order." Pahlen 
presented the order. 

Hardly had Alexander glanced at the paper, when 
he exclaimed mournfully, " And my brother too ! " 
Pahlen, in order to make the blow as severe as possi- 
ble, informed him what would be the fate of his inno- 
cent mother also. " Ah ! this is too much ! " said 
the grand duke, covering his face to hide from the 
attendants the spectacle of his grief. 

Pahlen then threw himself at the feet of the 
prince. " Monseigneur," he said, " deign to listen 
to me. It is necessary, in order to prevent a great 
misfortune, to put an end to the frightful vagaries of 
your august father. To-day he aims at your liberty 
only, but who knows, in the storm of his passions, 
which often deprive him of his reason, where his 
imperious and masterful will may carry him? Think 
of the unfortunate Alexis Petrowitz ! — " J 

1 Alexis Petrowitz (born 1690, died 17 18) was the son of Peter 
the Great and his first wife, Eudoxia, and is said to have been a 
studious youth, averse to martial pursuits. In 1716 he retired to 
Vienna and Naples for refuge from the dreadful ire of the Czar. 
This act was treated as a crime by his father, and Alexis was induced 
to return. After renouncing his rights to the throne he was con- 
demned to death on a charge of meditated rebellion in 17 18. He was 
found dead in prison ten days after his sentence was pronounced. 

35 



Historical Memoirs of the 

" Pahlen, you outrage my father ! " 

" Ah ! Monseigneur, it is not his heart that I ac- 
cuse ; that is full of generosity and of the most noble 
sentiments. But the violence of his temper excites 
him continually. You know, as well as I, that the 
emperor seeks the good without being able to attain 
it. What will become of the imperial family? What 
will be the fate of the nation, with its immense pop- 
ulation, which heaven has destined you to govern 
and to protect, if your father, left to his excited 
imagination, — turning from one opinion to another, 
punishing, pardoning, recompensing without meas- 
ure, without reflection, — retain the reins of govern- 
ment in his own hands? There is no longer time to 
hesitate, Monseigneur. The senate, the entire empire 
wishes to throw off this intolerable yoke, and confide 
its destinies to you. I am here only as the faithful 
interpreter of that wish." 

" What ! " cried Alexander, retreating from Pahlen. 
"They wish me to usurp the sovereign power, to 
snatch the sceptre from the hands of my father? 
Never ! I will be the victim of his errors if need be, 
without regret! Save only my mother! save the 
empress ! " 

Pahlen then, with atrocious duplicity, tried to 
make the grand duke understand how greatly the 
universal exasperation among all classes against the 
emperor himself was to be feared. Then he cited 
England for example, where they were disposed to 
confide the direction of the government to the Prince 
of Wales, although the mental condition of George 
III. was less alarming perhaps, in a country where 
sovereign authority was more restrained and was 

36 



Emperor Alexander I. 

limited by laws, than in Russia where the will of the 
monarch was absolute. 

" The grand duke," continued Pahlen, " employ- 
ing the same moderation, could, without mounting 
the throne, take the reins of government, always 
being ready to return them to his father as soon as 
the health of the emperor is restored, and when he 
has recovered that calmness necessary for the per- 
formance of his important duties. Such are the 
views of the senate, of the army, and of the whole 
nation," repeated the adroit courtier. 

" They shall never have my consent ! " replied 
Alexander. " The will of my father alone can direct 
his destiny and mine." Then, drawing a crucifix from 
his bosom, he made Pahlen swear upon that sacred 
object that the life of the emperor should be 
respected and his will left free. 

" Monseigneur," replied Pahlen, " three days will 
without doubt decide the fate of your Imperial 
Highness, that of your august mother, and of all 
Russia." 

On quitting the grand duke, Pahlen placed several 
guards at his door with an officer. The same day, 
the Emperor Paul, who had for a long-time aban- 
doned his family, went to pass the evening with the 
Princess Gagarin. 1 He was melancholy and his feat- 
ures were altered. During the conversation he let 
fall these terrible words, which his heart without doubt 
did not indorse, which he could never have fulfilled, 
and which a violent passion alone could have made 

1 Princess Gagarin, n&e Princess Anna Lapouchine (born 1777, 
died 1850), at one time mistress of Paul I., was the wife of Prince 
Paul Gavrilovitch Gagarin. 

37 



Historical Memoirs of the 

him utter : "In a few days heads shall fall which 
have been very dear to me ! " 

The Princess Gagarin, being terrified, thought it 
her duty to warn the Grand Duke Alexander of the 
danger. One can imagine the cruel anxieties and the 
mental tortures which Alexander must have suffered. 
After his interview with the grand duke, Pahlen felt 
that there was no time to be lost to insure the success 
of the conspiracy. Assembling the conspirators, he 
addressed them in the language of all revolutionists, 
ancient and modern : " Let us not hesitate to show 
ourselves worthy of our country by declaring our- 
selves her liberators ! " 

The appointed rendezvous was at Platon ZoubofFs. 
Invoking the shade of Brutus, the conspirators stim- 
ulated their courage by copious draughts of wine. 
During that same evening Pahlen saw the emperor, 
and in language adroitly prepared he persuaded him 
that the conspiracy was at an end ; he succeeded also 
in tranquillizing him, and in pouring the balm of con- 
solation into the heart of the ill-fated monarch. 

Finally, when night had come, the conspirators, 
wrapped in their cloaks and almost all having their 
brains filled with the fumes of the wine which they 
had drunk, took their way in silence toward the 
Palace Michaelovski. As they crossed the garden 
which surrounds the palace, a flock of crows roosting 
on the trees flew up, uttering their inauspicious cries. 
The croaking of these birds, which is considered a 
bad omen in Russia, frightened the conspirators, and 
they considered for a moment whether they should 
not give up the enterprise. 

Pahlen had changed the guards of the palace and 
38 



Emperor Alexander I. 

in their place had stationed as sentinels officers be- 
longing to the conspirators. The entire Imperial 
Guard was under arms in different parts of the city- 
according to his orders. One single sentinel, having 
been overlooked, seeing the group which was ap- 
proaching, cried, " To arms ! " and was about to rush 
out, when he was immediately recalled by the accom- 
plices of Pahlen. The conspirators, having arrived 
without hindrance, mounted the steps of the grand 
staircase, where reigned, as in the entire palace, a 
melancholy silence. 

It was midnight. Paul, having passed the evening 
with the Princess Gagarin, slept peacefully, relying on 
the trustworthiness of Pahlen. No trace was to be 
seen of those precautions which unrestful and sus- 
picious tyranny invents and multiplies. After trav- 
ersing the long suite of apartments without anything 
having arrested their steps, the conspirators were 
about to enter the sleeping-room of the emperor. 
Pahlen, scarcely breathing, watched the expression and 
countenance of each conspirator, listened intently to 
each sound, when suddenly in the chamber which 
preceded that of the emperor, a body-guard, — a 
Pole by birth, who was on watch, wrapped in his 
mantle, — perceiving the troop at that hour of the 
night, and suspecting evil intentions, sprang in front of 
the conspirators. Upon their refusing to retire, he 
drew his pistol, upon which they fell upon him and 
threw him down. At this noise the emperor awoke. 
Believing himself betrayed, he sprang out of bed and 
ran to a trap-door which served as means of commun- 
ication with the apartments on the ground-floor. By 
some mischance, for the first time perhaps, the 

39 



Historical Memoirs of the 

spring did not respond to the pressure of the foot. 
Where should he flee ? What should he do ? The 
only door in the room besides the main entrance led 
to the apartment of the empress, but that was locked. 
The unhappy prince, victim of his own folly, had 
himself cut off all chance of escape. 

At length the principal door opens, and Paul has 
only time to hide himself behind a corner of the 
chimney. The conspirators rush into the chamber. 
Their first look is toward the emperor's bed ; it is 
empty. Finally they discover the emperor, who, be- 
lieving flight impossible, calls Pahlen as his last 
hope. But the traitor does not answer to that voice. 
He was not in the room ; he was watching each move- 
ment of the conspirators from the outside. Assuming 
a courage which perhaps did not exist in his heart, 
Paul spoke to the conspirators. 

" Paul Petrowitz," answered the traitors, " you see 
in us the organ of the senate and of the empire. 
Take this paper, read it, and decide your own fate." 

At these words the emperor, terribly agitated, re- 
ceived the act of abdication presented him by Zouboff. 
By the pale light of the night-lamp which flickers 
upon the troubled features of the emperor and upon 
the gloomy and ferocious faces of the conspirators, 
Paul reads the fatal document, reads it again ; and as 
accusations of tyranny, specifications of his faults, 
expressions the most insulting and the least respect- 
ful constantly recur to strike the eye, and still more 
to wound the pride of the monarch, the dignity not 
only of the sovereign but of the man in him revolts. 
He throws the paper down. " No ! " he cries ; " rather 
death than dishonor ! " 

40 



Emperor Alexander I. 

He seeks again to escape the fury of the assassins, 
if not by flight, at least by a desperate defence ; he 
seizes a weapon Then commences a scene of horror 
and outrage which the pen refuses to describe. . . . 

The stifled cries and groans, the muffled menacing 
sounds — the voice of crime — reach the ear of the 
alarmed wife. The empress hastily rises and runs to 
the door, but all efforts to open it are vain. Without 
loss of time she makes the tour of the apartments, 
and arrives trembling, despairing, on the staircase, 
which is filled with the assassins of her husband. 
Bennigsen, 1 who had been drawn into the plot, and 
who alone that night had been able to preserve the 
unalterable calmness of his demeanor, naturally very 
gentle, — Bennigsen advanced toward the empress 
and respectfully opposed her design to enter the 
chamber of the emperor. He showed her that she 
would only uselessly expose her own life, and that 
the days of Paul were ended. The empress was 
carried fainting to her own apartment. 

The emperor in fact breathed his last as Pahlen 
entered, sword in hand, undecided still whether to 
use it to save the life of his master, or to participate 
in the crime. The sight of his dead benefactor really 
made some impression upon that atrocious and per- 
fidious soul. He was obliged to support himself 
against a pillar, and remained there immovable for 
some moments, his sword hanging at his side and 



1 Count Levin August Theophil Bennigsen (born 1745, died 1826) 
was a celebrated commander in the Russian service. In 1788 he 
fought against Turkey, and in 1798 against the Poles. He com- 
manded at the battle of Eylau. In 1813 he was in command of the 
army of the reserve and was soon after created count. 

4 1 



Historical Memoirs of the 

his face covered. The other conspirators imitated 
his silence. Finally Bennigsen represented to them 
the necessity of going to pay homage to the new 
sovereign. 

The tumult, noise, and disorder always attendant 
on such a tragic event resounded even to the palace 
of Alexander, where he reposed by the side of his 
young wife. Struck with terror and filled with the 
most dreadful presentiments, when he heard the 
death of his father proclaimed he fainted. Upon 
recovering his senses, Alexander saw the conspira- 
tors kneeling about him, trying to justify their deed 
by a thousand incoherent words, and attempting to 
attribute the death of Paul to a stroke of apoplexy, 
a natural consequence of his extreme violence. 

" Monsters ! " cried Alexander, " I will not accept 
a crown stained with the blood of my father ! " and 
he fled and shut himself up in the most remote part 
of the palace. 



42 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER II 

AN immense crowd of people and bodies of sol- 
diers having assembled under the walls of the 
palace, they called with loud cries for their new sov- 
ereign. The conspirators, appalled and in consterna- 
tion, did not know what to do. Finally Bennigsen 
agreed to go to the emperor, who, not believing him 
culpable, allowed him to come into his presence.^ 
Bennigsen, throwing himself at the feet of Alexander, 
begged him to yield to the wishes of the people, and 
not to excite the murmurs and license of the Imperial 
Guard by longer resistance, and by leaving in such 
cruel anarchy this powerful empire which destiny 
had called him to govern. 

Conquered at last by the representations of Ben- 
nigsen, and still more by the tears of his mother and 
his wife and by the prayers of his beloved brother, 
the Grand Duke Constantine, Alexander yielded, and 
consented to show himself to the multitude. 

Pale and exhausted, the new monarch was carried 
almost inanimate into the presence of his soldiers, 
where he received their oaths of allegiance, which, ! 
repeated by thousands of voices, seemed to make the 
death of his father a thousand times more tragic. 

The conspirators, ignorant still of what treatment 
they had to expect, retired to their own homes, 
strong, if not by the approval of their own con- 
sciences, at least by the approbation of public opinion, 
which they believed to be entirely on their side, by 

43 



Historical Memoirs of the 

the approbation of their country, of which they called 
themselves the liberators, and above all by that of 
their party, which was as extensive as powerful. 

Pahlen was soon condemned to exile on his estates. 
"I expected it," he said, "and my trunks are all 
packed in advance." The other conspirators were 
also exiled to different provinces of the empire, and 
in spite of the mildness of the punishment, they all 
considered themselves persecuted heroes, victims 
and martyrs to their patriotism. 

Perhaps many will, on the contrary, be astonished 
that Alexander did not act with greater severity 
against the assassins of his father. It must be re- 
membered that the penalty of death did not exist at 
that time in Russia. Exile, confiscation of property, 
imprisonment, and disgrace were the only punish- 
ments known. Such a deed merited without doubt 
a law for itself, but no such law existed. Let us 
represent to ourselves, if possible, the situation in 
which Alexander found himself. Ascending the 
throne so young, he had only hopes and promises to 
offer his people, for the restraint and dependence in 
which his father had held him had never given him 
an opportunity to show the public the extent of his 
abilities, his aptitude for work, and the clearness of 
his mind and judgment. 

In the first years of his reign, Alexander could 
only oppose with gentleness, perseverance, and con- 
ciliation, the dangerous fermentation with which the 
unhappy death of Paul filled the minds of the nation. 
That death seemed to be the victory of license over 
despotism, and was expected to lead to great con- 
cessions of autocratic power. An aristocratic con- 

44 



Emperor Alexander I. 

stitution was already talked of, in which, without 
doubt, the interests of the people would have little 
weight in the balance, and in which the only endeavor 
would be to restrain sovereign authority. Con- 
spiracy had struck deep root, especially in the army 
and among the Imperial Guards, and Alexander saw 
for a long time the sword of Damocles hanging over 
his head. Many of the conspirators, who had be- 
haved with such atrocious barbarity, were in league 
with some of the most important personages of the 
empire. Moreover, it must be confessed, unfortu- 
nately, there reigned at St. Petersburg a universal 
satisfaction, and people spoke with an audacious 
freedom extolling the guilty. 

We are acquainted with persons still living attached 
by sentiments of gratitude and affection to the 
memory of the ill fated Paul I., whose frailties they 
had at the same time to acknowledge and deplore ; 
these persons voluntarily banished themselves from 
society, because they could not meet certain in- 
dividuals, and see them received with general good- 
will, without a feeling of horror. Who had passed 
sentence on the guilty? Who had led them to the 
scaffold? The emperor was obliged to restrain a 
desire for just vengeance, and to yield to the solicita- 
tions of a few faithful servants, strangers to the con- 
spiracy, who placed clearly before his eyes the 
dangers which the State and the imperial family 
would incur if they employed rigorous measures 
against that party. 

Without openly opposing the new opinions, it was 
necessary to lead back the public mind by methods 
of prudence and moderation into the path of duty. 

45 



Historical Memoirs of the 

This was a work requiring wisdom such as that of 
which Alexander has given so many proofs during 
the whole course of his glorious reign. History can 
never reproach this prince with having shown a 
culpable clemency toward the murderers of his father, 
of having voluntarily left their crime unpunished. 
We have seen princes contemporaneous with Alex- 
ander — good and pious princes — constrained by 
reasons of state, not only to admit to their presence, 
but to honor with their confidence as minister, one of 
the criminal promoters of the death of Louis XVI. 

The accession of Alexander to the throne was 
signalled by many acts of justice and benevolence. 
In response to his generous voice the deserts of 
Siberia sent back numerous exiles, eager to mingle 
their acclamations with those of an entire people 
filled with hope and joy. 

Alexander banished from his court the excessive 
and rigorous etiquette which had been introduced in 
the preceding reign ; among others, the custom of 
descending from one's carriage when one met the*-' 
emperor. No person had been exempted from this 
usage either on account of age, sex, or rank. The 
first round hat which appeared in the streets of St. 
Petersburg is said to have created quite a sensation. 

Freedom to travel outside the country was granted 
to every one in the empire, without distinction. The 
system of employing spies and informers was no longer 
feared. Art and literature, being no longer in fetters, 
hastened to render homage to their august protector. 
Submitted to fixed rules and to wise and well-conceived 
discipline, the army commenced finally to breathe 
freely, although Alexander showed perhaps too much 

46 



Emperor Alexander I. 

love of minor details, and attached too much im- 
portance to small outside matters, often imperceptible 
to a less experienced eye than his own. But it 
would be difficult to blame his methods, remember- 
ing that they proceeded from a sense of order and 
exactness, and that it is to him especially that the 
Russian army owes its fine military bearing, and 
that perfect discipline which has justly made it the 
admiration of all Europe, and that it owes also to him 
those successes of which Russia has a right to be 
proud. 

People living in the country, sure of finding in 
their young sovereign justice and protection, were 
happy to see him honor agriculture and interest him- 
self in its progress, by establishing on his own estates 
settlements of foreign workmen, whose efforts he 
encouraged in the hope of propagating and extend- 
ing true prosperity throughout the whole empire. 

The towns found also an assured guarantee of pros- 
perity in the love of Alexander for the arts, and in the 
protection he gave to commerce. The young em- 
peror gave all his attention at first to putting in order 
the finances of the State, which the luxurious pro- 
fusion of the Empress Catherine and the prodigal 
generosity of Paul I. had cruelly deranged. He 
soon reaped the fruits of his labor, by re-establishing 
the national credit 

Such was the happy beginning of the reign of 
Alexander. This prince accorded and assured to 
his subjects all the liberty which they could reason- 
ably expect; and in all his attempts one recognizes 
the wise teachings of the philosopher La Harpe. 
Some people, filled with the new ideas of the age, 

47 



Historical Memoirs of the 

try to see in the intentions of Alexander a secret 
tendency to advanced liberal ideas, toward which his 
old instructor had directed the mind of the young 
prince destined to command one day fifty millions 
of people ; but Russia, happy and satisfied, found — 
using a clever expression of Mme. de StaeTs — "a 
perfect constitution in the character of her sover- 
eign." Every one knows the charming reply which 
Alexander made to that celebrated woman, — a reply 
which so well expressed his sentiments. " I shall be, 
in any case," he said, " only a fortunate accident." 

Notwithstanding his youth, his inexperience, and 
his natural inclination to philanthropic sentiments, 
Alexander had too much wisdom, too much depth 
of mind, not to see that Russia was, if one may be 
allowed to use the comparison, still too young a tree 
to receive the graft of new institutions. He hoped 
much from the future, from his care and persever- 
ance, and above all from time, which alone could 
accomplish and establish a great change in the form 
of government; but time, inexorable time, would not 
tarry for him, and madmen, monsters, ungrateful 
cowards have hastened its course — Ah ! forbid the 
thought; its bitterness mingles itself in the recital 
of the events of these beautiful years of Alexander ! 

Let us turn to the young monarch visiting the 
different parts of his vast empire, appearing every- 
where to his subjects as the amiable, benevolent 
prince, the future great man, destined by Providence ^ 
to be the arbiter of Europe, and to overthrow that 
colossus of power which was to weigh upon her in 
the person of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Everywhere brilliant festivals and entertainments 
48 <y 



Emperor Alexander I. 

marked the passage of the young emperor. Alex- 
ander honored with his presence those which were 
given at that time at Vilna, the capital of Lithuania. 
Being then too young, I had not the happiness of 
seeing him, but I learned even then to honor his 
royal name. 

I remember that in the programme of solemnities 
which took place on that occasion, the municipal 
authorities planned to have the carriage of the 
emperor drawn into the town by men. Several 
persons of the prince's suite who had preceded him 
to Vilna tried to make it understood that such 
homage was unpleasant to his Majesty ; but to no 
effect. The town authorities did not wish to lose the 
expense of the costumes which had been made for 
the twenty men chosen from the burghers, who were 
to form that singular team. These poor people ran 
therefore with great zeal to attach themselves to the 
carriage of the emperor at the place a little distance 
from Vilna where the prince had just received the 
different deputations from the town ; and starting off 
with redoubled speed they arrived at the castle, 
drawing, instead of the emperor, his Majesty's valet 
and his coachman, who, gravely seated on the box, 
drove them like real horses. Feeling a natural re- 
pugnance to letting himself be drawn by his fellow- 
men, the emperor had entered the carriage of one 
of his aides-de-camp. 

On leaving Vilna, Alexander crossed the river in 
a ferry boat. One of the boatmen wounded, himself 
so ' :iously as to cause anxiety to those who were 
witnesses of the accident, especially to his Majesty, 
who regarded himself in a measure as the cause of 
4 49 



Historical Memoirs of the 

the misfortune to the poor man. He insisted upon 
dressing the wound with his own hands, and tore his 
handkerchief into bandages. This scene took place 
on the boat, and this mark of feeling in the prince 
was immediately immortalized by the brush and 
pencil of every artist in the country. 

In going from Vilna to Grodno the emperor 
stopped to change horses at one of my father's 
farms. While they were harnessing the new relay, 
Alexander, walking about among the stables which 
were of rather remarkable architecture, noticed a large 
coachman's-whip freshly painted and varnished. 

He had the fancy of a young man to try the 
whip. A little stable-boy who was there, not recog- 
nizing the emperor, and probably finding his pleasant 
and prepossessing countenance infinitely less formida- 
ble than that of the big-moustached coachman, owner 
of the whip, tried to take the whip from the hands of 
Alexander, saying, " Don't touch that whip, for it 
belongs to Mr. Theodore." The emperor, amused 
at the boldness of the little chap, who had a waggish 
manner and a pretty face, asked him if Mr. Theodore 
would take a ducat for his whip. The little boy 
undertook the negotiation and promised to remit the 
price to the owner. The business having been con- 
cluded, the emperor rolled up the whip handily and 
put it in his carriage, saying it was for his favorite 
coachman, the faithful Houchka. 

The emperor, in travelling, generally had himself 
driven, for safety, by his own coachmen. He who 
was driving the imperial carriage at this time wished 
to try the horses before the emperor got in. They 
were large, strong stallions. No sooner had they 

50 



Emperor Alexander I. 

felt the reins and the Russian whip to which they 
were not accustomed, than they began to kick and 
rear, and would have broken the carriage in pieces if 
the people from the stables had not run to the 
rescue. My father's equerry having begged to be 
allowed to have the horses driven in the Polish 
fashion, Mr. Theodore took the reins, and the em- 
peror was driven without accident to the next 
relay. 

The philanthropic character of the emperor seemed 
to promise uninterrupted peace to his happy sub- 
jects. No idea of conquest or ambition had thus 
far entered the head of this young sovereign, to the 
great astonishment of all who surrounded him, and 
to that of all Europe, no doubt. That which was 
not less remarkable was the admiration which he 
involuntarily felt for the man whose character could 
in no way be in sympathy with his own. But it 
must be admitted that that prestige of glory and 
power which then surrounded Napoleon was well 
calculated to seduce the imagination with all the 
fascination of the marvellous. 

Alexander could not consider as a usurper the 
extraordinary man who, having rescued France from 
the abyss of revolution, continued still to direct her 
destiny under the modest title of consul. Later, 
Napoleon said that he found the crown of France 
on the ground and took it up. He would have 
been without doubt more just, more noble, in tak- 
ing it up, to have restored it to the Bourbons, who 
had not let it fall, since it had been wrested from 
them; but the soldier of fortune found the crown 
and made himself emperor. 

5i 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Alexander, wishing to hold amicable relations 
with France, followed up the negotiations cut off in 
the preceding reign, and sent Count Markoff to 
Paris. The principal object of Markoff's mission 
was to come to an understanding with the French 
government upon the system of indemnities in favor 
of the German princes who had been stripped or 
robbed by the last treaty with Austria, whether by 
means of exchange or by the secularization of the 
goods of the ecclesiastics. It appeared also in his 
instructions that Markoff should do all in his power 
to establish and maintain good feeling between 
France and England. It was thought that a war 
between those two countries would necessarily dis- 
turb the peace and prosperity of all Europe. Markoff 
had been employed during the reign of Catherine 
only in negotiations with the Turks, who were al- 
ways the conquered, or with the Poles, who, though 
courageous, were always obliged to yield to force. 
He was lacking in tact and circumspection. Every- 
thing about him was disagreeable, his tone, his man- 
ner, and his character. He inspired the confidence 
of neither France, England, nor Germany. When 
England broke the treaty of Amiens and declared 
war against France, Markoff was so sure that Lord 
Mitford would accept the conditions of the first 
consul that he risked and lost a considerable sum 
of the public funds. 

Finally, Bonaparte, tired of the presence of that 
diplomatic personage, had him recalled to St. Peters- 
burg. The Emperor Alexander showed a good 
deal of character on this occasion ; he sent Markoff 
the order of St. Andrew, leaving him at liberty to 

52 



Emperor Alexander I. 

return to St. Petersburg or remain in Paris. But 
Markoff, instead of imitating the firmness of his 
royal master, hastened his departure, saying he did 
not dare to prolong his stay in Paris for fear of being 
poisoned. Oubril replaced him as charge d'affaires 
until that disastrous event happened which destroyed 
the harmony that had existed between the govern- 
ments of France and Russia. The assassination of 
the unhappy Due d'Enghien proved, even to the 
admirers of Napoleon, of what terrible excesses 
ambition could render him capable. All Europe 
shuddered with horror at that deed by which the 
most sacred rights were violated. 

Sharing that just indignation, Alexander, as prince 
of the empire, sent a note to the diet of Ratisbon to 
demand reparation for the violation of the territory 
of the electorate of Baden. But what reparation is 
possible when the wrong is without remedy ? The 
Due d'Enghien was dead. 

Austria and Russia declared war against France. 
The successes of Napoleon in that campaign are 
too well known for me to recount them. Austria 
remembers them only too well. The Emperor Alex- 
ander had confided the command of his troops to 
Kotousoff j 1 but he was present himself at the battle 

1 Michael Laurionovitch Golenitchef Kotousoff (Kutusov) (born 
1745, died 1813) served against the Poles and Turks, and rose to 
be lieutenant-general in 1789. In 1793 he was ambassador to Con- 
stantinople, and on the accession of Paul I. was charged with a 
mission to Berlin. After the assassination of the czar he was ap- 
pointed governor-general of St. Petersburg, and in 1805 was created 
commander-in-chief of the first corps of the Russian army against 
the French. He gained a victory at Durrenstein, and soon after 
commanded the Allied Army under the Emperor Alexander at 
Austerlitz. In 1812, a few days before the battle of Borodino, he 

53 



Historical Memoirs of the 

of Austerlitz, lost through the non-arrival of the 
corps of the Russian army commanded by Bennig- 
sen, and the army of the Archduke Charles coming 
from Italy. 

It is said that at the beginning of the battle a 
Russian colonel made prisoner by the French was 
brought to Napoleon, who asked him where the 
Emperor of Russia was. The Russian having satis- 
fied the curiosity of Napoleon, the latter set him at 
liberty, charging him to beg the emperor on his part 
to change his position, as he was about to make a 
grand discharge of artillery on the side where Alex- 
ander had stationed himself. 

I will not attempt to describe this battle, so glori- 
ous for the French army. I will only say that the 
young emperor showed great personal courage, ex- 
posing his life in several encounters where he had 
a horse killed under him in pushing to the midst 
of the retreat to rally his old grenadiers, who had 
fled, crying : " Sire, no one is in command here ; 
flee, do not expose your life ! " The emperor was 
then obliged to quit the field of battle with the mor- 
tification of a defeat, and with that which was still 
more painful to his sensitive heart, of having fruit- 
lessly shed the blood of his subjects. " You must 
be in my place," said he one day, — " you must be 
in my place to know the responsibility of a sovereign, 
and what I feel in thinking that I must one day give 
account to , God for the life of each one of my sol- 
diers." These beautiful words are worthy to be 

was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army. For his 
victories the emperor bestowed upon him the title of Prince of 
Smolensk. 

54 



Emperor Alexander I. 

engraved on marble and on brass, and to serve as a 
lesson to all the kings of the earth. 

In passing through Prussian Poland on his return 
to Russia, the emperor was separated from his at- 
tendants and lost his way one winter night near the 
little village or borough of Miendsirzecz. Learning 
that the lands belonged to Prince Constantine Czar- 
toryski, whom, as well as his wife the Princess Ange- 
lique, nee Radzivil, 1 he had known very well at St. 
Petersburg, he had himself conducted to the castle. 
Arriving almost alone in a little sledge, the emperor 
announced himself as an old friend of the prince, 
and asked to see him at once. The servants at first 
made some objections, judging from the modest 
appearance of the equipage ; induced finally to yield, 
in spite of themselves, to the influence of the sov- 
ereign manner of him to whom they spoke, they 
went to waken their master and to inform him of 
the arrival of the unknown friend, who would not 
tell his name. Very much surprised in his turn, 
Prince Czartoryski rose, put on his dressing-gown, 
and descended to the salon, where he recognized 
the friend. The emperor would not allow them to 
waken the princess; he took only a cup of tea, 
accepted some linen, of which he was in need be- 
fore he could reach his carriages, and departed at 
once for St. Petersburg. Upon his arrival at the 
capital of the empire, the senate saw' fit to offer the 



1 The Princess Radzivil, palatine of Vilna, mother of the princess 
Czartoryski, and my aunt, a person of fine mind and graces of im- 
agination, had made long sojourns at St. Petersburg. She was 
equally well received by the Empress Catherine II., who overwhelmed 
her with honors and gifts, by Paul I., and by Alexander I. 

55 



Historical Memoirs of the 

emperor the grand order of St. George : but Alex- 
ander refused that reward of valor, saying modestly 
that he did not at all deserve it. 

After this campaign Oubril, the Russian charge 
d'affaires at Paris, made a treaty disadvantageous to 
Russia, which Alexander had the firmness not to 
ratify. In the meantime Prussia, which before had 
refused to enter into the coalition with Austria and 
Russia, alone and with extreme imprudence declared 
war against France. The battle of Jena, the death of 
the valiant prince Louis, and the taking of Berlin, 
were among the sad, results of an undertaking in 
which without doubt there was more heroic exalta- 
tion than real and healthy policy. The beautiful 
Queen Louisa of Prussia, after having stimulated the 
courage of the Prussian soldiers, was obliged to flee ; 
and being enceinte was transported on bales of cotton 
to the frontier of the country, — to Memel, where 
she remained, as well as the king, during the whole 
of this disastrous campaign. So it was in Prussia, 
and she would have suffered, perhaps, by a just retri- 
bution from Heaven, the fate of Poland, if her noble 
ally, the generous Alexander, had not come to her 
rescue. 

The Russian army commanded by general Bennig- 
sen held back the impetuous French troops accus- 
tomed to march from victory to victory. The success 
of the battles of Pultusk and of Preussich-Eylau were 
doubtful for the one as well as for the other army. 
Bennigsen closed the entrance of Lithuania against 
Napoleon. No general fighting against this great 
military genius had been able to claim such an 
advantage. 




COUNT BBNNIGSHN. 



Emperor Alexander I. 

A great number of French prisoners were trans- 
ported at that time to the interior of Russia and 
passed through Vilna. Their appearance excited 
among the Poles a sort of patriotic effervescence, 
which fortunately had no unhappy results, owing 
to the moderation and prudence of the governor- 
general and commander of Lithuania, Rymsky 
Korsakoff. 1 

Warsaw, at that epoch already occupied by the 
French, was regarded as the nucleus of a new Poland, 
and all the patriotic feelings, all the hopes of the 
Poles fastened themselves upon Napoleon as the only 
sovereign who had, not only the power, but the wish 
to re-establish the ancient kingdom of Poland. Mis- 
taken in the crafty character of Bonaparte, the Poles 
believed they saw in each French soldier the instru- 
ment of the re-establishment of their nation. As such 
the prisoners of whom I have just spoken were re- 
ceived throughout Lithuania, and especially at Vilna, 
with such lively and exaggerated marks of interest 
that it was impossible to attribute it to humanity 
alone. They deprived themselves of clothes, linen, 
money, everything, for them. The market-women 
gave the French soldiers their provisions for nothing. 

1 Alexander Michailovitch Rymsky Korsakoff (Korsakov) (born 
1753, died 1840). In his youth he entered the army, taking part in 
the campaign against France in the Low Countries. Later he served 
with distinction under Zubov in the war against Persia. On the 
accession of Paul I. he was named lieutenant-general and sent with 
30,000 men to support Souvarof in Switzerland. Before he could 
effect a union he was overwhelmingly defeated by Massena at Zurich 
(1799). Two years later he was promoted to general of infantry, 
and a little later was named Governor-general of Moscow. By the 
kindness and humanity of his administration he won the. respect and 
friendship of all. 

57 



Historical Memoirs of the 

People went to visit the officers, who were always in 
sight. On the day of their departure everybody was 
eager to send them an abundance of provisions, and 
a crowd assembled at the house which they occupied 
to see them off. The inhabitants conducted them on 
foot for several stages of the journey, and a livery- 
stable-keeper furnished gratuitously thirty horses 
and sledges to carry the French several miles from 
Vilna. 

The battle of Friedland in the spring of 1807 ter- 
minated the Prussian campaign. The treaty of Tilsit, 
in fixing the boundaries of the grand- duchy of War- 
saw, disappointed the hopes of the Poles, without 
succeeding, however, in extinguishing them entirely. 
The interview between the two sovereigns took place, 
it is said, upon a boat in the middle of the Niemen, 
in the presence of both armies drawn up in most 
brilliant array on opposite sides of the river. It is 
said also that Napoleon on perceiving Alexander, 
struck with the beauty of that prince, exclaimed, " It 
is Apollo ! " It was at this interview that Alexander 
for the first time gave Napoleon the title of emperor, 
and majesty, whom until then he had not recognized 
as the ruler of the French nation. 

The boat belonged to Napoleon. After the first 
compliments and the reciprocal presentations of the 
Grand Duke Constantine and Murat, then Grand 
Duke of Berg, Napoleon naturally wished to do the 
honors of the meeting-place for the conference to 
the Emperor of Russia. Alexander claimed that he 
was on his own shore, Napoleon that he was on his 
own boat. To put an end to ceremonious contro- 
versy, Alexander said, " Very well, we will enter to- 

58 



Emperor Alexander I. 

gether." As the door was very narrow, the two sov- 
ereigns were obliged to squeeze themselves together 
to enter at the same time. It was observed that 
they were very animated as they left the place of this 
conference, whose results were known later. Upon 
his return to his own shore, Napoleon, in compliment 
to the Emperor of Russia, made the whole French 
army cry, " Hourra /" In response to this politeness, 
the Emperor Alexander made sign to his own to cry, 
" Vive V Empereur Napoleon ! " The officers who 
knew French cried as they were ordered, but the 
Russian soldiers responded by their accustomed cry, 
and the two banks of the Niemen resounded with 
" hourras." 

The conference lasted a number of days, during 
which the sovereigns visited each other reciprocally. 
Alexander even dined several times with Napoleon, 
who would never in his turn show the same proof of 
confidence, saying, to justify his fear: " I am not as 
good as you, sire, and I fear the people by whom 
you are surrounded." Once only he had the fancy 
to ask for tea. " You are so near China," he said to 
the Russian emperor, " you ought to have excellent 
tea." But when it was brought, he pretended to put 
the cup to his lips, then put it down without having 
tasted a drop. 

When the Emperor Alexander dined at the French 
camp with several persons of his suite, the servants 
carried the dishes of gold and placed them on 
Napoleon's table, passing through two lines of grena- 
diers, who allowed no one to approach for fear they 
might throw poison into the food. 



59 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER III 

IN acceding to the continental system which 
Napoleon attempted to force upon Europe as 
the only means of opposing England, — that power 
that was so proud of her impregnable position and 
always jealous of the glory of the great captain, — the 
Emperor Alexander bought the peace of Tilsit at the 
price of a sacrifice much more costly for his empire 
than an unsuccessful campaign would have been. 
Little it mattered to Napoleon if all Europe suffered, 
so long as his hate and ambition were satisfied. 
Tranquil in regard to Russia, which he had now placed 
under the yoke of his policy, Bonaparte turned his 
ambitious looks towards Spain. 

The Russian emperor at this time received the King 
and Queen of Prussia at St. Petersburg. On this 
occasion he" displayed a grandeur, magnificence, and 
generous hospitality like that shown by Louis XIV. 
in receiving the unfortunate James II. and his family, 
when banished from England. Sumptuous equipages 
and furs of great price were prepared for their Majes- 
ties and their followers, and awaited them on the 
frontier of the country. The King and Queen of 
Prussia made their entry into St. Petersburg in a 
state carriage. 

Notwithstanding the intense cold, the troops were 
under arms before five o'clock in the morning. All 
the most illustrious and distinguished personages of 
St. Petersburg awaited the royal travellers at court. 

6q 



Emperor Alexander I. 

It is related that the Emperor Alexander, giving his 
arm to the Queen of Prussia, encountered in one of 
the galleries of the palace the beautiful Madame N., 1 
clothed in a simple gown of white crape, and with 
no ornament on her magnificent black hair except 
a wreath of those flowers called forget-me-nots. This 
lady then and for a long time after occupied the 
heart of Alexander, without any other merit in his 
eyes than the charm of her beauty. In recalling a 
weakness unhappily too well known, we attempt not 
to justify it, — if it can be justified, — but to prove 
that the virtues of Alexander have effaced its 
memory. 

Married so young, and naturally endowed with 
lively passions, friendship alone was not enough to 
fill a heart too warm and too open to the dangerous 
impressions of love. Perhaps, also, the pride of a 
more constant heart, wounded in its dearest affections, 
did not permit Elizabeth to employ those means 
which reason alone would have suggested to her, to 
bring back the love of her husband. While she sup- 
pressed her complaints and affected a calm and 
serene manner, she was often surprised bathed in 
tears, contemplating the portrait of that Alexander, so 
lovable and so unfaithful. Ah ! to find him less 
culpable, let us turn our regards from the sorrows of 

i Madame Narishkin was the prima donna of St. Petersburg in 
beauty, talents, and accomplishments. Her husband was the Grand 
Huntsman of the court, and through the mother of Peter the Great 
claimed relationship to the imperial family. Her father, a Polish 
nobleman, claimed descent from the ancient royal family of Russia, 
and her mother was more nearly related to the imperial house. She 
had no influence in politics and never mixed in them. Her triumph 
over Alexander was of short duration. 

61 



Historical Memoirs of the 

the angelic Elizabeth ! As man, Alexander had the 
weaknesses of men. Perfection without blemish is not 
compatible with human nature. If Alexander did 
not attain to it in all respects in his private life, what 
other mortal dare hope to attain to it? But, at least, 
no one will accuse him of having attempted to seduce 
innocence. He always knew how to respect and 
honor merit and virtue, and he avoided scandal. 
He was never known to squander the revenues of the 
State in mad profligacy, or to allow any favorite to 
gain a dangerous influence over his mind. Finally, 
he renounced his errors at an age when the passions 
still preserve a fatal power, at the age when Louis 
XIV. was under the influence of Madame de Montes- 
pan and the beautiful Fontanges, and much younger 
than Henri IV. when that king, so great in spite of 
his weaknesses, disguised as a lackey ran after the 
carriage of the charming Princess of Conde. 

Not only were the King and Queen of Prussia as 
well as their suite entertained during their stay at St. 
Petersburg by the emperor, but they were constantly 
made the objects of the most delicate attention and 
royal courtesy. Sumptuous festivities were given on 
that occasion at the winter palace, among which were 
fire-works which cost immense sums, and a ball at 
which there were twenty thousand persons dressed in 
fancy costumes. The Queen of Prussia appeared in a 
superb Russian costume worth one hundred thousand 
rubles, which she found on her toilet just before the 
ball. It was thus that Alexander honored and 
respected the royal unfortunates. 

Ambition, which was the food of Napoleon's genius, 
led him to ask of the Emperor Alexander a second in- 

62 



Emperor Alexander I. 

tervievv. Their meeting took place this time at Erfurt. 
It was there, it is said, that this unscrupulous man, 
insatiable of glory and conquests, unrolled to the 
eyes of the wise and moderate monarch his gigantic 
plan for the division of the world, in renewing the 
empire of the East and of the West. If that project 
did not succeed, its failure must be attributed to the 
moderation of Alexander. What a formidable union 
that would have been, with the military genius of 
Napoleon united with the forces of Russia! The 
infatuation of Alexander for Napoleon, the fascination 
which he exercised, kept up by that victorious career 
to which all yielded, was not yet dissipated. 

It is said that during this conference at Erfurt, 
Alexander was present with Napoleon at a repre- 
sentation of CEdipus, and suddenly at this line, — 

" L'amitie' d'un grand homme est un bienf ait des dieux," — 

he rose and kissed Napoleon. I cannot vouch 
for the truth of this anecdote, but I have heard 
the Emperor Alexander say that during his stay 
at Erfurt he had been overwhelmed with contin- 
ual representations of tragedies, and that he attrib- 
uted this melancholy taste to the sombre and tragic 
character of Napoleon. 

A short time after the interview at Erfurt, Napoleon, 
having had his marriage with Josephine dissolved, 
and desiring to strengthen and perpetuate his dy- 
nasty on the throne by a brilliant and durable alli- 
ance, asked of the Emperor of Russia his sister the 
Grand Duchess Catherine l in marriage. Alexander 

1 Catherine Paulowna (born 1788, died 1819). She was a daughter 
of Paul I., and in 1809 married Prince George, Duke of Oldenburg, 

63 



Historical Memoirs of the 

seemed disposed to accede to these views of Napo- 
leon, but the dowager Empress Marie and the young 
princess herself — both women of great character, and 
who had always disapproved of the continental sys- 
tem, which Alexander had adopted in spite of him- 
self — showed in this affair such firmness and resist- 
ance that Alexander was forced to yield, and Napoleon, 
for the first time since his elevation, had to submit to 
a refusal. Here was also his first experience of the 
inconstancy of fortune. His brilliant marriage with 
the Archduchess Marie Louise effaced for the time 
his sense of humiliation, and filled his heart with 
new pride in making him believe in the stability of 
his fortune. However, its limit was already marked 
by Providence ; it was in the wilds of Russia, it was 
by the light of the burning of Moscow, in the midst 
of the snows and frosts of the North, that misfortune 
was to seize its illustrious prey, to pour upon his own 
head the evils which his ambition had inflicted upon 
the world, and to make him submit to a slow and 
cruel death upon a rock, in the midst of the ocean, — 
him who complained that he suffocated in old Europe. 

Finally, the Emperor Alexander, after three years 
of peace, uncertain as to results, determined, if not to 
declare war against the French, at least to renounce 
the continental system. One could scarcely flatter 
himself that Napoleon would be tractable on this 
important point of his policy. 

It was equally impossible for Alexander to close 

who died in 1812. She was married in 1816 to the Prince of Wiir- 
temberg, who became King Wilhelm I. She was a favorite sister of 
Alexander and is said to have been endowed with noble and amiable 
qualities. 

64 



Emperor Alexander I. 

his eyes any longer to the sad condition to which the 
absolute cessation of commerce had reduced the 
empire. What limit, moreover, could any one assign 
to this system, even more oppressive for those who 
had undertaken it than for those against whom it 
was directed? Had not England her colonies, her 
ships, all the seas at her disposition? Was not her 
policy of constantly opposing France far superior to 
that of Napoleon, who only knew how to act with 
bombs and cannon and with millions of men? 
Finally, as a last resource, had she not Spain and 
Wellington? 



65 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER IV 

THE year 1812 saw the most memorable events 
which history has ever recorded. 

The Emperor Alexander, who since his accession 
to the throne had only once honored Vilna with his 
presence, announced suddenly that he chose that 
town as his headquarters. The different corps of 
the army from all parts of Russia were gathered 
together at different points of Lithuania. The em- 
peror had just terminated the conquest of Finland, 
and his friendly relations with Marshal Bernadotte, 
then prince royal of Sweden, reassured him against 
any kind of dangerous diversion on the North. Ko- 
tousoff, conqueror of Moldavia, had terminated a 
glorious campaign in concluding a favorable treaty 
with the Turks. 

Although the secrets of the cabinet were well 
guarded, it was easy to see that France was the 
object of all these movements, that war was about 
to break out ; but where would be the theatre of it ? 
That was what no one could foresee, for no news 
whatever from without was brought into the interior 
of the country, not even to the headquarters. With 
his ordinary prudence the emperor had thought that 
his abode in Lithuania, the attraction of his presence, 
his affability and kindness would draw to him the 
hearts of all the Lithuanians, and would be to them a 
certain antidote against the allurements which Napo- 
leon seemed disposed to offer to their patriotism. 

66 



Emperor Alexander L 

Alexander arrived at Vilna at the beginning of 
March, 1812. It is principally with this time that 
my recollections of this excellent prince are con- 
nected. I beg my readers in advance to spare me 
the reproach of vanity if, in speaking of the empe- 
ror, I find myself obliged to speak of myself. You 
will only see the humble lily of the fields beside the 
stately cedar ! 

My father, having to give up to his Highness the 
Grand Duke Constantine the house which he occupied, 
changed his quarters and sent me to a country place 
not far from Vilna, to stay with friends. In going 
out of the town I was struck with the misery of the 
country people, whom privation of the absolute 
necessities of life by the interruption of trade, the 
bad harvests of the preceding year, and the continual 
passage of troops and transports had entirely ruined. 
The trades-people were obliged to furnish the maga- 
zines of the army with provisions, and were paid in 
promises made in very uncertain terms. The evil, as 
is always the case, weighed most heavily on the poor. 
The peasants lost their horses, and even their cattle. 
This sad spectacle, I remember, put me in bad humor 
with the emperor, as if he had been the cause of the 
evils which are always the forerunners of war, not to 
speak of the plagues which are the inevitable fol- 
lowers of it. It was the time of Lent, which is ob- 
served rigorously throughout the empire, even by the 
emperor himself. It was not possible to celebrate 
the presence of the emperor by brilliant entertain- 
ments, but the emperor often accorded to certain 
persons of the nobility of Vilna the honor of dining 
with them. In the morning his Majesty occupied 

67 



Historical Memoirs of the 

himself with the affairs of state, received or sent off 
couriers, was present at the parade and military ex- 
ercises, and took long rides on horseback into the 
country about Vilna, which he found delightful. 

In a lovely retreat, made beautiful by friendship 
and all that art could devise, my friends and I 
learned that the emperor was about to inspect a 
body of troops quartered at Scawle and Semogitie, 
and that we should have the pleasure of seeing him, 
as he must necessarily pass Towiany, a place re- 
markable for the beauty of its castle and its Eng- 
lish gardens, and for having several times had the 
honor of the presence of its sovereign. Forty 
horses were sent and kept there for his Majesty. 
Not knowing whether the emperor would only 
change horses or remain to dine there, Count Mori- 
coni and his wife made preparations accordingly. 
I acknowledge that the great stir and bustle which 
always announces and precedes the arrival of a 
sovereign, the news no sooner received than denied, 
the comings and goings, the orders and counter- 
orders, the movements of the couriers, valets de 
chambre, lieutenants of the police, the directors of 
the post, generals, etc., which followed each other 
like lightning, — all this was very amusing. I never 
laughed so much, and must acknowledge that I was 
well seconded by my young friends, and that very 
little was sufficient to excite our mirth. 

Finally, on the 27th of April, 18 12, the emperor 
arrived at Towiany, about seven o'clock in the even- 
ing, in an open calash. He always travelled thus, 
in all kinds of weather by night as well as by day. 
He was received on the steps by Count Moriconi. 

68 



Emperor Alexander I. 

On seeing this venerable old gentleman, dressed in 
the uniform of a commander of Malta, who was 
hardly able to stand (for he had been paralyzed 
for several years), the emperor perceived at once 
that he was suffering, and with an air of kindness 
and solicitude sustained the count as they ascended 
the steps. Seeing the mistress of the house, her 
two nieces and myself, his Majesty excused himself 
most politely for appearing in undress uniform, not 
expecting to see ladies. Then giving his arm to 
the Countess Moriconi to enter the drawing-room, 
the emperor offered to kiss her hand. Madame de 
Moriconi, out of respect, would not allow that mark 
of politeness, which she had not expected, and as 
she was very short and courtesied very low, the em- 
peror on his side bowed almost to the ground, which 
gave me again such a desire to laugh that I could 
hardly restrain myself. 

Madame de Moriconi then presented her two 
nieces, Mademoiselle Grabowska, now Princess Rad- 
zivil, 1 Mademoiselle Dorothee Moriconi, now Countess 
Lopacinska, and me. The emperor asked the ladies 
to sit down, and compelled the old count to do so, 
placing him himself in an arm-chair with touching 
care. He remained standing, spoke of Vilna, and 
said many polite things of the society he found 

1 Radzivil was one of the oldest, wealthiest, and most influential 
families in Poland. The family was a large one and was united in 
its devotion to the existence of the kingdom. Charles Radzivil (died 
1790) supported a small army out of his own purse. Michel Geron 
Radzivil (born 1778, died 1850) was enrolled in the Polish army 
under Kosciusko. In 1812 he fought against Russia, and after the 
battles of Smolensk and Witepsk he was made a general of brigade 
by Napoleon. When Paris was occupied by the Allies he returned 
to Poland. He took an active part in the revolution of 1830. 

69 



Historical Memoirs of the 

there and the ball they had given him on the eve 
of his departure. In answer to these compliments 
we felt it our duty to speak of St. Petersburg; the 
emperor asked us if we knew it, and upon our nega- 
tive answer, " Well, ladies," he said, " I invite you 
to come there, and I hope it will answer to the 
opinion you have already formed of it." He re- 
peated several times that he was ashamed to be in 
such dress in the presence of ladies, and related a 
similar thing which had happened to him on his 
arrival near Warsaw, at Willanow, the ancient habi- 
tation of King John Sobieski. "I arrived there 
sound asleep," said the emperor. "What was my 
astonishment and confusion when, on wakening, I 
found myself surrounded by charming and beauti- 
ful ladies, in a brightly illuminated castle filled with 
souvenirs of King John." 

The emperor complimented Madame Moriconi 
very much upon the beauty of the castle and park, 
upon which she asked him to look at the view from 
the window. The spring was late that year, and at 
the end of April there was no appearance of verdure. 
The hour for dinner had already passed, but his 
Majesty would only take a cup of tea, and soon, 
learning that the carnages were ready, he begged 
Madame Moriconi not to accompany him, and salut- 
ing each person of the house, ranged along his 
passage, he mounted his carriage with the grand 
marshal of the court, Count Tolstoi. 

I acknowledge that I was very much struck, at 
first sight, with the good looks of the emperor, 
whose charm consisted especially in the mildness 
and expression of an open and pleasant counte- 

7° 



Emperor Alexander I. 

nance. I must say also, in all simplicity, that I 
could not imagine a sovereign in an overcoat. 
Finally, if I may say it, I found him too amiable, 
not imposing enough, making one forget his rank 
too easily. I could not accustom myself to those 
exaggerated expressions of politeness, respect, and 
homage which he employed with ladies, which sur- 
passed in my ideas all that is left us of the exquisite 
gallantry of Louis XIV. 

We were told by General Armfeldt, 1 at that time 
commander in Finland, and by M. Czernischeff, aide- 
de-camp to his Majesty, that the emperor would 
return by Towiany. M. Czernischeff — to whom 
his journeys to Paris, and the secret messages with 
which he had been charged gave a sort of celebrity, 
to which he was not indifferent — seemed to worship 
the emperor, to whom he had given the surname 
the Seduisant. Three days after the departure of 
his Majesty a courier arrived from Scawle bringing a 
letter from Prince Wolkonski, 2 which announced that 

1 Gustav Mauritz Armfeldt (born 1759, died 1814) was a favorite 
of Gustavus III., and just before the death of that king in 1792 was 
appointed governor of Stockholm. In 1794 he was charged with 
treason by the regent, who, during the absence of Armfeldt on a mis- 
sion to Naples, procured a sentence of death against him. He was 
restored to his former dignities by Gustavus IV. in 1799. Six years 
later he was appointed governor-general of Finland. In 1808 he 
commanded an army which was unsuccessful in its attempt to con- 
quer Norway. Owing to persistent persecution by his enemies he 
entered the Russian service in 1810, and was appointed to several 
high offices by Alexander. 

2 Prince Pierre Mikhailovitch Wolkonski (Volkonsky) (born 1776, 
died 1852) was one of the most eminent generals in Russia, and his 
strong moral character gave him great influence. He was appointed 
aide-de-camp to the Grand Duke Alexander in 1797, and served with 
distinction in the brilliant campaigns of 1805, 1812, 1813, and 1814. 
After the peace of Tilsit, Alexander presented him to Napoleon, 

71 



Historical Memoirs of the 

the emperor proposed to come the next evening to 
ask Countess Moriconi for a cup of tea. 

As the emperor was to stop at Vilkomir to be 
present at a review, the director-general of the post 
hinted that the countess would do well to ask his 
Majesty to pass the night at Towiany, where he would 
be incomparably better lodged than in a dirty little 
country town filled with Jews. He assured her that 
the emperor would gladly accept her invitation. 
Countess Moriconi, an elderly woman, not liking the 
constraint and trouble of etiquette, suffering also from 
a neglected cold, while answering that she did not 
deserve so much honor, gently pinched my arm to 
show me how much she was annoyed. It was neces- 
sary immediately to evacuate the apartments of the 
countess, of her nieces and their maids, to put them in 
order for the reception of the emperor. A crowd of 
maids old and young came and went, screaming, 
carrying, and upsetting everything; the confusion was 
most laughable. His Majesty's valet de chambre, who 
was filling a yellow morocco bag with hay, the ordi- 
nary bed of Alexander, who always slept on a hard 
bed, told us gravely that the emperor never allowed 
people to disturb themselves for him, and finally as- 
sured us condescendingly that everything would do 
very well. In the evening, as the lamps were being 
lighted, I saw from the window a company of peasants, 
men and women, returning from their work to their 
humble cottages, singing their plaintive Lithuanian 
airs. The simplicity and calmness of these good 

who invited him to visit France and study the details of the organiza- 
tion of the army. Accordingly he lived abroad in the years 1808 and 
1809. He was Russian ambassador to the court of Charles X. 

72 



Emperor Alexander I. 

people formed a contrast to the bustle and commo- 
tion in the castle which struck me, and I spoke of it 
to Madame Moriconi. As we stood there chatting 
some one came to say that the emperor had arrived. 
The mistress of the house rushed in quite out of 
breath ; we made her sit down a moment, then ran all 
together to receive the emperor. 

This time Alexander was in general's uniform em- 
broidered with gold, with the scarf. It was no longer 
" the sovereign in an overcoat." He had stopped to 
dress at a farmhouse which belonged to the castle. 
Remembering that Madame Moriconi had been in- 
disposed, he asked after her health and addressed a 
polite word to each of us. He said he had tried to 
reach Towiany in time for dinner, but the bad roads 
had made him late. Then Madame Moriconi made 
bold to ask the emperor if he would not do her the 
honor to accept her hospitality for the night. His 
Majesty replied that he would not give her that 
trouble, that he had his quarters at Vilkomir. Upon 
this, new entreaties, for we saw that the refusal came 
from delicacy. We now called Count Tolstoi to our 
aid ; who, having learned that he was a relative of 
Madame Moriconi (his daughter married Prince 
Lubomirski, a nephew of that lady), immediately ap- 
proached the emperor with that familiar tone which 
he allowed himself with him, and said : " Sire, you will 
have to consent to remain here, for I am to do the 

1 Count Ivan Ostermann Tolstoi (born 1770, died 1857) was a 
brilliant Russian general of artillery. In the bloody battle of 
Ostrowna, July 25, 1S12, he showed great courage and skill when 
he was placed immediately opposite the troops of Murat and Prince 
Eugene; and again showed marked bravery at Bautzen. His last 
years were passed in strict retirement near Genoa, 

73 



Historical Memoirs of the 

honors as a relation." As the emperor seemed sur- 
prised, Tolstoi hastened to explain. Then his Majesty 
turning to Madame Moriconi said, " Madame, I am at 
your service, but I beg you not to disturb yourself for 
me. 

We all sat in a circle. The emperor asked Madame 
Moriconi if she had not used a remedy for her cough 
very well known at St. Petersburg, which his physi- 
cian would get for her, if she had n't it. Count 
Tolstoi said he could cure a cold with jujube lozenges. 
The emperor made some joke about his "doctoral" 
propensities ; adding that it would not always be safe 
to follow his advice. " What ! sire, I have given those 
pastilles to your mother" answered Tolstoi. " The 
dowager empress never takes anything else when she 
has a cold." 

The emperor then spoke of his tour in Lithuania, 
of several beautiful views on the river Niemen, of 
agriculture in general, etc. Madame Moriconi sus- 
tained the conversation very well. The emperor 
complimented her upon her knowledge of agriculture. 
He asked if we were musicians; Madame Moriconi 
said that her niece sang. He expressed a wish to 
hear her ; everybody rose and Alexander placed him- 
self near the piano. Mademoiselle Dorothee said to 
him she could hardly breathe for fear. " I beg you," 
he said, "just put the emperor aside." While she 
sang Alexander turned the leaves for her, and when 
the song was finished he complimented her on her 
talent. Then turning to me he asked me if I also was 
musical, but I hastened to say that I possessed only 
very moderate talent. He then talked for some time 
about music and singing, and spoke of Madame Frank, 

74 



Emperor Alexander I. 

whose method he admired and whose voice was very 
beautiful and of great compass. He liked Romberg, 1 
Rode, 2 Steibert, 3 and the opera "Romeo and Juliet;" 
to the last I had the boldness to prefer " Zingarella." 

His Majesty regretted that the Empress Catherine 
had never allowed him to learn the violin, in spite of 
the taste he had for that instrument, that princess 
fearing with reason the loss of her grandson's time 
which the study of music would necessitate. The 
emperor told us also that at St. Petersburg, during 
Lent, they have only concerts, — and never balls, " our 
rite being more severe than yours," he said. He then 
begged Mademoiselle Dorothee, " if it was not impos- 
ing too much on her patience," to sing a national air. 

In the meantime Prince Wolkonski arrived with 
Mr. Wylie. 4 The emperor joked them about their 
delay, saying that they must have travelled like snails. 
" His Majesty can laugh at us with good grace," 
said the prince to me; " he takes the best horses for 
his relays, leaving us only the poor ones." 

" Do you know, Wylie," said Alexander to his 
physician, " Tolstoi is going to infringe upon your 

1 Andreas Romberg (born 1767, died 1821) was a celebrated 
German violinist and composer. In 181 5 he became director of 
music at Gotha. He produced several sacred pieces and operas, and 
set to music Schiller's " Song of the Bell " and other poems. 

2 Pierre Rode (born 1774, died 1830). A French violinist who 
composed concertos, which are much admired. 

3 Daniel Steibelt (born 1756, died 1S23) was a celebrated pianist 
and composer for the piano. He was patronized by Frederick the 
Great and became Imperial Chapel-Master at St. Petersburg. 

4 James Wylie (bom 1768, died 1S54) was a Russian physician of 
Scotch origin. He was Physician to the Emperor, Member of the 
P,rivy Council, President of the Military Sanitary Commission, and 
Member of the Academy of Surgery. He wrote several works on 
medicine, 

75 



Historical Memoirs of the 

rights, and thinks of giving medical advice." The 
Englishman was puzzled, not knowing anything of the 
preceding conversation. Then followed an explana- 
tion in a form of pleasantry, which was very lively and 
agreeable. 

While my friend sang I chatted with the new ar- 
rivals, of whom nobody thought, every one being 
occupied with the emperor. Approaching the piano 
I found the conversation had turned on foreign 
languages, of which the emperor maintained that 
the Poles spoke the most. He added that he liked 
Polish very much and also spoke it. I said that the 
Grand Duke Constantine was supposed to speak it 
perfectly, and even to write it. " Yes," replied the 
emperor, "my brother boasts about it, but I have 
never seen any of his writings, and he does not speak 
it very correctly." 

The ^question of the analogy of the Russian and 
Polish languages was referred to, and the similarity 
of certain words, and the emperor, smiling, made me 
repeat some Russian words, which I did not pro- 
nounce very well. 

Soon after Alexander proposed to retire, saying 
that he feared he was taxing us too much, and that 
we without doubt would like to rest. Seeing that 
no one dared to detain his Majesty, it occurred to 
me to say, "Your Majesty, then, takes us for real 
country people?" The good-natured prince com- 
menced laughing, and turning to me : " No, certainly, 
I do not think that, but I believe it is a very good 
habit in the country to go to bed early." Then 
Tolstoi whispered a few words in his ear about sup- 
per. The emperor asked Madame Moriconi if she 

76 



Emperor Alexander I. 

supped, and upon her answer in the affirmative he 
said, " I never sup, but I will conform to the usages 
of the house." In chatting with Madame Moriconi 
he wanted to know if she passed the winters in town 
or in the country. She answered that formerly she 
went to Vilna, but that present circumstances forced 
every one to curtail expenses. "Yes," replied the 
emperor, " and the consequences are still more to be 
feared ! " a remark which made us think ! " That is 
what makes me envy the good fortune of my family, 
who live in the depths of White Russia," said Ma- 
dame Moriconi. " Without doubt, that is farther from 
the frontiers, but I hope still all will be arranged," 
said his Majesty. 

" God grant it," said the countess. 

Supper was served, and the emperor gave his arm 
to the mistress of the house to go to the dining-room, 
which, as well as the table, was ornamented with 
flowers. He refused to take the place of honor which 
had been prepared for him, changing the whole ar- 
rangement of the table with charming vivacity. " I 
beg you," he said, " let me be only a man, then I 
shall be so happy." " That is a recreation for your 
Majesty," said Madame Moriconi the elder. He sat 
between these two ladies and busied himself in serv- 
ing them. Taking a glass of Hungarian wine, he 
drank the health of his hostess, saying, " Is this not 
called in Polish Stare wino (old wine) ? " 

He said he and his three companions were doing 
justice to the supper. Pointing to Wolkonski, " See 
what an appetite ; one would n't think he had dined, 
to see him eat," he said. Prince Wolkonski said 
to me, with a little temper, " And what a dinner ! — 

77 



Historical Memoirs of the 

an egg and half a chicken." " Yes," added Count 
Tolstoi, " the emperor will never have either cooks 
or provisions in travelling. He is satisfied to eat 
what he finds ; " and then addressing Alexander he 
asked, " Well, sire, are you sorry to stay here, in- 
stead of going in to our bad quarters at Vilkomir?" 
"No, indeed," answered the emperor; "it is a long 
time since I passed such a delightful evening." 

Some one spoke of the remarkable memory of the 
emperor, who recalled with accuracy all the names 
of persons and places which he had seen in his 
different journeys in Lithuania ; his Majesty said : 
" I must have memory for the marshal and for my- 
self, for he has none at all. When he speaks to me 
he always says, ' Sire, you know, it is Mr. So-and-so,' 
and then tells me the story." The marshal agreed 
that it was true. I put him to the proof and asked 
him about the last journey. " I do not remember," 
he said, " but I will ask the emperor," which he 
did. 

After supper Alexander approached me and asked 
if the marshal was going to be my physician also, 
having chatted with me so long at table. In fact, I 
had remarked that the emperor had observed us 
with one of those little lorgnettes which he always 
kept in the sleeve of his uniform, and so often lost. 

I answered that it was I, on the contrary, who had 
taxed the patience and especially the memory of the 
marshal. " On what subject? " " Oh, on his travels, 
and unfortunately I have always found him in fault." 
" Oh ! it would be a miracle if any one should suc- 
ceed in making the marshal remember anything," 
said the emperor. 

78 



Emperor Alexander I. 

At the moment of retiring, the emperor took 
Madame Moriconi aside and said he had a favor to 
ask of her. We were very curious to know what it 
was. Alexander asked that no one would disturb 
himself or herself to be present at his departure in 
the morning. Madame Moriconi insisted, but the 
emperor retired bowing. We then asked Count 
Tolstoi and Prince Wolkonski if we might not dis- 
obey. They answered that they could not take it 
upon themselves to authorize us to do so, but that 
they would go and negotiate a permission from 
the emperor. His Majesty reappeared, assuring 
her that he would have it on his conscience if he 
allowed Madame Moriconi, with her cold, to get up 
so early. She insisted that it would disturb her still 
more not to do her duty, and I added that we had 
decided to run the risk of disobedience. Made- 
moiselle Dorothee Moriconi said in her turn that 
we would be up before the regiments at Vilkomir. 
We all spoke together. The emperor looked from 
one to another, smiled, made amiable motions of 
impatience, left us, and returned again. The little 
scene seemed to amuse him, and there was a charm 
and liveliness in all his movements. Finally, after 
having kissed the hand of each of us, he retired to 
his apartment. 

The next morning at six o'clock we were all assem- 
bled in the drawing-room, our eyes fixed upon the 
door by which his Majesty should enter. We had 
not long to wait till the emperor appeared. He ad- 
vanced with much grace and dignity toward the mis- 
tress of the mansion. " Madame," he said, " I come 
to reproach you; you have not received me as a 

79 



Historical Memoirs of the 

friend, as an old acquaintance; you have put your- 
self out for me ; you have given up your rooms. I 
would never have allowed it if I had known. In fact, 
you have received me too well." He then asked 
when we had gotten up. " About two hours ago," 
somebody said. He shook his head. Madame 
Moriconi said to his Majesty that the impressions of 
the evening had banished sleep. 

At the moment of departure the emperor said 
more pleasant things to Madame Moriconi, begged 
her to remember him, and asked if she had no com- 
missions for Vilna. He would not have us conduct 
him to his carriage, but as soon as he had gone out, 
we all followed him to the steps, when he laughingly 
hid himself behind a pillar to put on his overcoat. 
The emperor sprang from the ground into his calash, 
and was obliged himself to arrange a quantity of 
packages which prevented him from sitting down ; 
he did this good-humoredly while waiting for the 
grand-marshal, who finally arrived, having, not with- 
out trouble, gotten into the sleeves of his overcoat, 
whose torn lining would not let his hands pass 
through. This incident made us laugh after the 
departure of his Majesty. 

Alexander left a thousand rubles for the servants 
in the house. Knowing that the priest of the parish 
had awaited the emperor on his passage, we went 
into the village to speak to him. This good old man 
came to meet us, and related with much feeling that 
the emperor, having seen him coming from the church 
clothed in his priestly robes and carrying the cruci- 
fix, had stopped his horses and springing to the 
ground advanced toward him to take the cross, 

80 



Emperor Alexander I. 

which he kissed. When the curate wished to kiss 
his hand he drew it back, and kissed the hand of the 
priest with great respect, and departed overwhelmed 
with blessings. This simple, touching mark of re- 
spect for age and religion brought tears to my eyes 
when I heard it. 

Perhaps it will be thought that the pleasure of re- 
cording these memories which are dear to me has 
drawn me into too long and too minute details. 
However, to make known these persons who have 
played an important role in the world's theatre and 
have left a name honored among men, it is not suf- 
ficient to recall the great actions which have made 
them illustrious; it is necessary, so to speak, to fol- 
low them step by step in their private life. It is 
there that the man is found. Why does one find 
such a great charm in the historical romances of 
Walter Scott, who often conducts us with admirable 
art from room to room, from boudoir to boudoir, 
even to the bed-chamber of the hero or heroine? It 
is because he carries us in fancy into the presence of 
the people whose actions he relates, and the illusion 
is such that we seem to see and to speak with them. 
Why is the reading of mtmoires so universally enjoyed 
and sought? It is because it admits of a thousand de- 
tails of circumstance, which the severe tone of history 
must reject. 

The Emperor Alexander, at the time of which I 
speak, was thirty-five years old, but he looked much 
younger. I remember asking Count Tolstoi how the 
health of the emperor could stand these long jour- 
neys. " Look at him," said the count, " and you will 
cease to wonder." 

6 81 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Notwithstanding the regularity and delicacy of his 
features, the brightness and freshness of his com- 
plexion, his beauty was less striking, at first sight, 
than that air of benevolence and kindness which cap- 
tivated all hearts and instantly inspired confidence. 
His tall, noble, and majestic form, which often stooped 
a little with grace, like the pose of an antique statue, 
already threatened to become stout, but he was per- 
fectly formed. His eyes were blue, bright and ex- 
pressive; he was a little short-sighted. His nose 
was straight and well shaped, his mouth small and 
agreeable. The rounded contour of his face, as well 
as his profile, resembled that of his august mother. 
His forehead was somewhat bald, but this gave to 
his whole countenance an open and serene expres- 
sion, and his hair, of a golden blond, carefully 
arranged as in the heads on antique cameos or 
medallions, seemed made to receive the triple crown 
of laurel, myrtle, and olive. He had an infinity of 
shades of tone and manner. When he addressed 
men of distinguished rank, it was with dignity and 
affability at the same time ; to persons of his retinue, 
with an air of kindness almost familiar ; to women of 
a certain age, with deference ; and to young people, 
with an infinite grace, a refined and attractive man- 
ner, and a countenance full of expression. 

This prince in his early youth had had his hearing 
seriously impaired by the report of a discharge of 
artillery, in consequence of which his left ear was 
somewhat deaf, and he usually turned the right 
toward the speaker to hear better. No painter, with- 
out exception has ever been able to catch the likeness 
of his features, especially the expression and refine- 

82 



Emperor Alexander I. 

ment of his countenance ; moreover, Alexander never 
liked to be painted, and his portraits have generally- 
been made stealthily. 

More fortunate than his brother artists, Gerard ob- 
tained several sittings of the Emperor Alexander. In 
his portrait of that prince, as in all his chefs-d'asiivre, 
he has shown great talent and a beautiful touch, but 
still it is not Alexander. Gerard would give to this 
pacificator of Europe, to the prince who had come 
to restore, not to conquer the French monarchy, a 
conquering air, a martial bearing, which did not 
suit his features. Gerard has succeeded, in making 
only a beautiful picture. Sculpture this time, as well 
as many others, has succeeded better than her sister, 
painting, and we have seen a bust of Alexander, ex- 
ecuted by an artist of Berlin, which leaves nothing to 
be desired. Thorwaldsen has also made a bust of 
the prince, which, it is said, is worthy of the chisel of 
that celebrated artist. 



83 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER V 

IT was only a short time after the return of the 
Emperor Alexander to Vilna, that Count Nar- 
bonne arrived there, sent by Napoleon, it seemed, 
less to avoid a rupture and to conciliate than to 
throw a furtive glance over the Russian army, its 
strength, its plans, etc. 

A man of fashion and of pleasure ! With a bril- 
liant and agreeable but changeable mind ; ashamed of 
the many different parts which he had performed, 
and of the role which he even yet played ; absolutely 
wanting in that balance and that justice of aim which 
are never found in a false position, Count Narbonne 
was poorly fitted to fill a diplomatic mission. 

He had commenced his career in his youth by 
being knight of honor to the royal princesses of 
France, who overwhelmed him with kindness, and 
more than once came to his help ; for he was with- 
out fortune and had a decided weakness for dissipa- 
tion. Narbonne showed little gratitude toward these 
princesses at the time of the Revolution. Led away 
by Madame de Stael and others, he adopted revolu- 
tionary ideas. As minister to Louis XVI. he took 
measures against the foreign troops who came to 
Louis's aid. Suspected by the revolutionary party 
and despised at the same time by the royalists, he 
quitted France during the Reign of Terror. After 
having been a wanderer a number of years, he re- 

84 



Emperor Alexander I. 

turned to France at the moment when Napoleon 
took the reins of government. 

Count Narbonne, after many attempts and solici- 
tations, obtained of Napoleon, first, the place of min- 
ister to Munich, afterwards that of adjutant-general. 
Napoleon had let his choice fall upon Narbonne on 
this occasion because he was the only one, perhaps, 
in that military court who had preserved the old 
manners, and a manner of expressing himself which 
rendered him worthy of being heard by a sovereign 
so refined and polite as Alexander. However, in 
spite of the elegant facility of his language, Nar- 
bonne could adduce no argument in favor of his new 
master, in the audience which the Emperor Alex- 
ander accorded to him. That prince explained with 
so much clearness and noble eloquence the modera- 
tion of his conduct, his just causes of complaint, and 
the impossibility of conciliating the propositions 
made to him with the honor of his crown, the in- 
terests of the empire, and his desire to avoid the 
shedding of human blood, that Narbonne, dazzled 
and confounded, could find no answer to this speech. 
In passing out from his audience he said to one of 
his acquaintances: "The emperor was so secure on 
his own ground, his reasoning had so much force 
and logic, that I could only intrench myself behind a 
few trite court phrases." 

Narbonne was present the same day at a grand 
review, and dined with the emperor, who sent him a 
valuable present of diamonds and a snuff-box orna- 
mented with his portrait. 

This envoy wishing to communicate with the Poles, 
to whom he had letters, wanted to prolong his stay ; 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

but the day after his audience the emperor sent him 
by one of his stewards the provisions for a most lux- 
urious journey, and immediately after, Count Cotch- 
ubey and Count Nesselrode came to make him a 
farewell visit, after which Narbonne felt that he 
could no longer defer his departure; especially 
when a courier came to announce that the horses 
were ordered for six o'clock in the evening. The 
profound admiration of Narbonne for Alexander, and 
the astonishment which the bearing and strength of 
the Russian army caused him were the only results 
of this mission. 

I had not been long at Towiany before I learned 
that his Imperial Majesty had deigned to name as 
ladies of honor at the court, Mademoiselle Dorothea 
Moriconi, Mademoiselle Marie Grabowska, and my- 
self; also two other young persons who were then at 
Vilna: Mademoiselle Giedroyc, who was afterwards 
lady in waiting to the Empress Josephine, and 
Mademoiselle Wilehouska. The emperor himself sent 
the packet to Towiany which contained the three 
orders in diamonds with the united crests of the 
dowager empress and the Empress Elizabeth, charg- 
ing my father, in the most amiable manner, to pay 
for him the debt which he said he had contracted at 
Towiany. 

My father came to take me back to Vilna. The 
next day after my arrival I went to the chapel of 
the emperor. It was Sunday and the assembly 
there was numerous and brilliant. It was the first 
time that I had been present at a grand service of 
the Greek ritual. I found that the dress of the 
archbishops, the wide violet robes, the long, float- 

86 - 



Emperor Alexander I. 

ing hair and anointed beard covering the breast, 
the incense which perfumed the air, the golden 
doors which opened and closed at marked inter- 
vals, — all had a kind of harmony with the majesty 
of the Christian religion. The chant especially, 
without any instrumental accompaniment, seemed to 
me to have a celestial beauty and simplicity. It 
was executed by the singers of his Majesty's chapel 
at St. Petersburg. 

The same day, my father dining at court, the 
grand-marshal came to say : " Does your daughter 
go out this evening? For his Majesty proposes to 
go and see her, and has written to the empress that 
he will make a visit to one of the maids of honor ; 
and it may be," added Tolstoi, smiling, "that the 
emperor has counted without his host." 

My father wrote me a note in pencil to inform me 
of the proposed visit, and sent it by a court messen- 
ger. The emperor arrived in the evening in a dor- 
ochka. My father received him at the foot of the 
staircase, while I awaited him at the door of the 
antechamber, where I expressed in a few words how 
happy I was that his Majesty deigned to come him- 
self to receive my most respectful thanks. The em- 
peror said that I owed him none ; that on the contrary 
it, was for him to thank me for all those marks of 
courtesy which I had shown him at Towiany; finally, 
that he had come to present me his most humble 
respects. 

I only quote these words to give an idea of the 
chivalrous tone of this prince. Entering the draw- 
ing-room he insisted that I should sit on the sofa, 
while he took a chair, and put his hat on the floor. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

As my father remained standing in spite of the invi- 
tation of his Majesty to sit, the emperor rose sud- 
denly, saying, " Well, Count, if you do not take a 
seat, I will remain standing also." My father was 
forced to obey. 

The emperor spoke of Towiany, and said, smiling, 
to my father that I had accused him of taking me for 
a countrywoman. Then with a tone of entreaty while 
it remained only with him to command, he asked me 
if I would not come to St. Petersburg. As I lowered 
my eyes without responding to this proposition, by 
which I felt a little agitated, " That is, then, impos- 
sible? " said he, with an air of gentleness quite charm- 
ing. " Sire," I replied at last, " I will take it as a 
holiday some day." " In fact," continued the em- 
peror, " it is not the time to go to St. Petersburg ; 
but I hope you will come there later, and we will do 
the best we can to procure you all sorts of amuse- 
ments." His Majesty praised the environs of Vilna 
very much, and as I spoke of the beautiful country 
houses which surround St. Petersburg, and the beauty 
of the Neva, " Oh, yes," said the emperor, " art has 
done all she could to conquer nature; for St. Peters- 
burg is situated in the midst of an uncultivated morass. 
We will show you all that when you come. Our cli- 
mate is horrible ! " added he. " When we have fifteen 
fine days in a season we say that the summer has 
been superb." The emperor said he had just bought 
Zakret, the estate of General Bennigsen, half a league 
from Vilna, and that he was now a citizen of the town 
and had the right to wear its uniform. I expressed 
my regret that his Majesty had not given preference 
to Werki, the ancient and beautiful residence of the 

88 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Bishop of Vilna, Prince Massalski, 1 whose vast castle 
built in the Italian style of the better period, is sit- 
uated upon a wooded mountain and commands an 
extensive view over the country about, including 
Vilna which is a mile distant, and the Vilia which 
flows at the foot of the mountain. The emperor re- 
plied that that would have been a fancy too expen- 
sive for him, and added by way of a jest, that my 
father ought to make that acquisition. The Count 
objected that he was father of a family. " So much 
more the reason," replied his Majesty; "you could 
give it to your daughter, who would do the honors of 
the castle, and that would be charming." 

The conversation soon took a graver turn, and 
politics became the subject of it. Without touching 
upon actual circumstances, the emperor assured us 
that he had only pacific intentions ; that he had 
made every sacrifice to maintain peace ; that he was 
resolved in any case not to commence hostilities ; 
and, finally, that he had only the good of his subjects 
at heart, and that the calamities of the times made 
him suffer intensely. 

My father said that the Lithuanians regretted that 
these unfortunate circumstances did not allow them 
to show all their zeal for his Majesty, and that they 
all knew that the emperor wished to be the father of 
his subjects. The emperor answered that he would 

1 Prince Ignace Massalski (born 1729, died about 1800) was 
descended from a long line of Russian princes. They were one of 
the most influential families in Lithuania when the two rival houses 
of Radzivil and Massalski contended for supremacy. He supported 
Stanislaus for the Polish throne. In 1762 he was consecrated Bishop 
of Vilna. His contemporaries describe him as a learned scholar, 
erudite and gifted with a quick and lively intelligence. 



Historical Memoirs of the 

endeavor to meet the confidence which they placed 
in him. In quitting us, Alexander, with his amiably 
extravagant politeness, asked my pardon for having 
wearied me with politics and for having abused my 
patience. 

My friends from Towiany had also come to Vilna 
to thank the emperor, who paid them a visit at which 
I was present. I remember a remark of the em- 
peror's which made a great sensation among the 
Poles of his retinue to whom I related it, and who 
were pleased to give it a different interpretation, 
perhaps, from the sense which the emperor had 
meant. Tea was brought in. The emperor took the 
glass jug which held the cream and served the ladies. 
When my turn came he asked if I took much. " Sire, 
d Vanglaise" I replied. " 77 vaut mieux etre Polo- 
naise" said he, with that quick wit which was natural 
to him. 

They were busy then at Vilna with preparations 
for an entertainment which was given at Zakret, the 
house of the emperor. A storm was ready to break 
over our heads, and yet, in full security, no one 
thought of anything but pleasure and of the happi- 
ness of having the emperor there. Not only were 
we far from foreseeing his departure, and from sus- 
pecting that the troops of Napoleon were near the 
Niemen, but we were even ignorant of the fact that 
the French had crossed Germany. No kind of news 
was allowed to arrive or be made known in Lithuania. 
Never were political plans enveloped in so impene- 
trable a veil ! 

A long, open gallery supported by pillars was built 
jin the garden of Zakret, designed for a dancing-hall. 

90 



Emperor Alexander I. 

It was to enclose in its centre a field of flowers. An 
architect of the government, Professor Schultz, had 
charge of the work. 

My father, happening to be at Zakret, called the 
attention of the architect to the fact that the founda- 
tions were not deep enough, in proportion to the 
height of the gallery and the thickness of the col- 
umns. Schultz acknowledged that the remark was 
perfectly correct, but said he would remedy that 
difficulty by joining the top of the colonnade with the 
framework of the roof. The next day the whole 
gallery fell with a terrible crash. Fortunately it 
was the workmen's dinner-hour. One, however, was 
found crushed under the ruins. 

At this misfortune, losing his presence of mind 
and perhaps fearing that he might be suspected of 
having a secret understanding with the French, too 
little confident in the indulgence of the emperor, 
the unhappy Schultz fled. He was pursued, but 
nothing was found of him but his hat on the bank 
of the river. The poor unfortunate had drowned 
himself. Think what a horrible catastrophe would 
have been the result of that event, if it had happened 
two days later ! The emperor, all his military house- 
hold, the commanding-generals of the army, a crowd 
of persons of distinction would certainly have perished 
in this frightful disaster. It would have been for the 
French a campaign gained without drawing the 
sword. 

The entertainment at Zakret took place, neverthe- 
less. I never saw one so beautiful, and never was 
there a farewell so merry ; for except those who were 
in the secret, no one could yet foresee that this ball 

9i 



Historical Memoirs of the 

was to be the signal for the departure of the emperor 
and the retreat of the Russians. 

We assembled at eight o'clock in the park of 
Zakret. The evening was beautiful, the sky a little 
clouded, as if to shelter us from the heat of the sun. 
The ladies, in elegant toilets and covered with flowers, 
were seated in a circle on a square of carpets 
spread upon the grass where the gallery was to have 
been, the whole palace ornamented with orange-trees 
in full bloom which perfumed the air. 

A crowd of people, whom curiosity and especially 
the desire to see the emperor had attracted from the 
town, formed groups in the distance. The musicians 
of the Imperial Guard played choice bits of music in 
different parts of the grounds. The sight of this 
brilliant assembly of beautifully dressed women and 
the military in splendid uniforms with their diamond 
decorations ; this company scattered over the green 
lawn, the old trees forming masses of verdure; the 
Vilia, which reflected in its winding course the blue 
heavens and the colors of the setting sun; the 
mountains, whose tops disappeared in the soft clouds, 
— all offered a scene of enchantment ; but when the 
emperor appeared, no one saw anything but him. 

His Majesty wore on that day the uniform of the 
Semenowfski Guards with light blue facings, which 
became him well. Having made the tour of the 
circle of ladies, whom he obliged to remain seated in 
his presence, even while he spoke to them, the 
emperor chatted with several of the men of the 
company. The ladies were invited to take refresh- 
ments, and then it was proposed to the emperor 
that he should open the ball on the square of carpets, 

92 



Emperor Alexander I. 

that the assembled crowd might enjoy the spectacle. 
He consented with his accustomed good-nature, and 
engaged for the Polonaise Madame Bennigsen, who 
did the honors of the ball. Then he danced with 
Madame Barclay de Tolly, and afterwards with me; 
then we ascended to the dancing-hall which was 
spacious and brilliantly lighted. 

I will not repeat all the flattering things which his 
Majesty said to me on this occasion, as well as to all 
the other ladies who were present. It would take 
too long to relate them all, for the emperor's talent 
for gallantry, if it may be so called, was inexhaustible. 
I think no one ever possessed, like this prince, the 
art of giving a "graceful turn to the most indifferent 
expressions, and the rare gift of saying appropriate 
things, which may be attributed not only to quick- 
ness of wit, but to a rare goodness and kindness of 
heart. Wishing to know whether I intended to return 
to Towiany or remain with my father, he said, " If I 
were the count, I would not let you leave me ! " 

His Majesty retired during the supper, which was 
served without formality at little tables in the open 
air. The weather was so mild and still that the lights 
did not go out, and the brilliant illumination of a 
part of the park, the cascades, the river, and the 
islands, vied with the moon and stars to make it a 
scene of enchantment. 

Who would have thought, in seeing the grace and 
brilliancy which Alexander displayed on that evening, 
that it was during the ball that he received the news 
that the French had crossed the Niemen, and that 
their advanced guards were not more than ten miles 
from Vilna? Six months later I heard Alexander 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

say that he had suffered intensely in being obliged 
to show a gaiety which he was far from feeling. 

Three days after the entertainment at Zakret, the 
emperor left Vilna to go into his headquarters at 
Sventsiani. Hoping that the stay of his Majesty 
would be prolonged, and not foreseeing the events 
which awaited us, my father had prepared to give a 
fete for Alexander. 

It was at the moment of his departure that the 
monarch made that beautiful proclamation which 
excited universal enthusiasm in the Russian army, 
delighted that their sovereign consented to command 
his own soldiers. "/ shall be with you," he said, 
"and God will be against the aggressor /" These 
words were an inspiration. What a difference between 
the noble and religious tone of the proclamations of 
Alexander, who always placed his confidence in the 
justice of his cause, and above all, in the protection 
of Heaven, and the tone of domination which per- 
vaded the proclamations of Napoleon, who seemed 
to recognize no divinity except that to which he had 
chained his chariot, the goddess Fortune ! 

Not only did the Russian troops evacuate Vilna, 
but also the few Russians who had lived there for a 
number of years hastened to depart, with their wives 
and children and all that they possessed. All the 
horses in the town were put in requisition in this 
urgent necessity, except those of my father, who, 
moreover, had not taken the precaution to hide them, 
as did several persons, who put their horses in their 
granaries, where the police did not think to go in 
search of them. 

There was the interval of only two days between 
94 



Emperor Alexander I. 

the departure of Alexander and the entry of the 
French, but the disturbance and anxiety made them 
seem of mortal length. Whenever the sound of a 
horse was heard in the streets, some one ran to tell 
some alarming news, which was almost always false. 
Some said the French would fire upon the town, and 
advised me to flee into the mountains, as the cannon- 
balls would make the church-towers fall on our 
house ; others came running with pale and frightened 
faces to announce that the Russians in retiring had 
set fire to the town ; others, finally, asserted that they 
had seen the Emperor Alexander running through 
the streets, without uniform, trying to reassure the 
inhabitants and promising not to abandon them. 
The governor-general, Korsakoff, as he was depart- 
ing, assured my father that there was nothing to be 
feared. The astonishment and perplexity which the 
expectation of such great events inspired left no 
place in my mind for vain terrors, which, moreover, 
are no help against danger, and only weaken the 
courage so necessary in all the circumstances of 
life. 



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Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER VI 

THE night of June 15 and 16, new style, the Rus- 
sian troops went off in good order and in a 
silence most imposing. It was not a flight, although 
it has been called so. At eight o'clock in the morn- 
ing a detachment of French cavalry dashed into the 
town, galloping to the defence of the bridge, to which 
the Russians had set fire. Nothing can express the 
emotion I felt on seeing Poles ! — the Poles, who rode 
with loose rein and sabres bare, waving the flags of 
their lances and bearing my country's colors, which 
I now saw for the first time. 

I was at an open window, and they saluted me as 
they passed. At the sight of these compatriots, my 
heart was moved, and I felt that I too was born a 
Pole, and was to become one again. Tears of joy and 
enthusiasm poured down my cheeks. It was a de- 
lightful moment, but it did not last long ! 

- The intoxication of joy was universal. The town 
resounded with cries of triumph. All rushed to arms. 
The Russians had thrown a great many in the river 
Vilia ; men of all ranks, even from the dregs of the 
people, hastened to get them out. Ridiculously 
armed, they ran through the streets in their working- 
clothes, and assembled in front of the town hall, 
throwing their hats in the air with noisy exclamations 
of patriotism. My father, being wiser and more pru- 
dent, was alarmed at these popular demonstrations. 
" Fools ! madmen ! " he cried ; " the Russians are 

96 



Emperor Alexander I. 

only a few steps distant ; who can foresee in which di- 
rection they will march, and what will be the result of 
events ? " I remember that three days after the entrance 
of the French, seeing the disorder which accompanied 
the march of that formidable army, the insubordination 
of the troops, the improvidence of the commanders, 
their fatalistic confidence in what they called " the 
destiny, of the emperor'' (for it was always by this 
grand expression that the French officers and the 
admirers of Napoleon answered all objections which 
were made them on this campaign), my father formed 
unfavorable expectations as to the issue of the war. 

Six hundred thousand men of all European na- 
tions subject to the Napoleonic policy marched in 
two lines, without magazines and without provisions, 
through a country impoverished by the continental 
system, and recently ruined by heavy requisitions. 
A Russian general had even presented to the Emperor 
Alexander the plan of totally devastating Lithuania, 
removing its inhabitants, and leaving nothing but a 
vast wilderness to the arms of Napoleon. But the 
feelings of Alexander would not allow him to make 
use of that measure, which if successful would be 
violent and inhumane. They contented themselves 
by burning all the storehouses of grain and the mills. 

The French army, as they entered Vilna, had not 
had bread for three days. All the bakers in the 
town were immediately employed in the service of 
the troops; and in spite of the saying of General 
Jomini, 1 " One never dies of famine in a besieged 

1 Henri, Baron Jomini (born 1779, died 1869) was an able general 
and writer on strategy. At an early age he entered the French army 
and became an aide-de-camp to Ney. He presented to Napoleon on 
7 97 



Historical Memoirs of the 

city," want was cruelly felt by the inhabitants of Vilna, 
especially by those who had not taken the precaution, 
or had not the means of laying in a supply of pro- 
visions in advance. The country through which the 
grand army had passed had been ravaged and pil- 
laged, and its corn had been cut green for the cavalry ; 
it could not, therefore, supply the needs of the capital, 
and the people dared not even expose their convoys 
on the roads, which were infested by marauders. 

Besides, the disorderly behavior of the army was 
a consequence of the sentiments of its chief, for after 
having crossed the Niemen, Napoleon, in an order of 
the day, declared to his troops that they were about 
to set foot on Russian territory. It was thus that the 
liberator of Poland, so much desired, announced him- 
self to the Lithuanians. In consequence of this 
proclamation Lithuania was considered and treated as 
a hostile country, while its inhabitants, animated by 

the field of Austerlitz his "Treatise on the Grand Operations of 
War ; " a few days after this event he was appointed Chief of the 
Staff of Ney. For his conduct at Jena (1806) he received the title 
of Baron, and two years later was employed in Spain. In 181 1 he 
became a general of brigade, and the following year was appointed 
French Governor of Vilna, and later of Smolensk. He rendered 
valuable service to the French army during the latter part of their 
disastrous retreat from Moscow. He contributed greatly to the 
victory of Bautzen. His promotion having been obstructed by the 
enmity of Berthier, he quitted the French service in 181 2, and entered 
that of Russia, with the rank of lieutenant-general, and became aide- 
de-camp to Alexander. In 181 5 he accompanied the czar to Paris 
and received the order of St. Louis from Louis XVIII. He was 
intrusted with the completion of the military education of Nicholas, 
who, on his accession to the throne retained him as aide-de-camp. 
He organized the Russian military academy. In addition to the 
above-mentioned work he was the author of a number of important 
treatises on strategy, several of which have been translated into the 
English language. 

98 



Emperor Alexander I. 

patriotic enthusiasm, flew to welcome the French. 
They were soon to be despoiled and outraged by 
those whom they regarded as the instrument of the 
deliverance of their country, and compelled to aban- 
don their homes and their property to pillage. Many 
took refuge in the depths of the forests, carrying 
with them that which they held the most dear, — 
the honor of their wives and daughters. 

Each day brought the recital of new excesses com- 
mitted by the French soldiers in the country. Vilna 
seemed to have become the seat of war. Soldiers 
bivouacked in the streets, which resounded with the 
clash of arms, the blare of trumpets, the neighing of 
horses, and the confusion of many languages. 

When, wearied with these sights, which presented 
themselves constantly to my view, I raised my eyes 
to the heavens to rest them on a more tranquil scene, 
I seemed to see, even in the clouds, armies in motion, 
and my imagination recalled with a sort of terror 
the visions of the Apocalypse. 

In the mean time French arrogance, astonished at 
the discouragement which had taken possession of 
all minds, expected always all obstacles to be re- 
moved, all difficulties to disappear. They demanded 
soldiers, bread, and money of Lithuania. They or- 
ganized in haste a temporary government; they 
reawakened the national pride with sharp words. 
" There is no patriotism among you," said the French, 
"no energy, no vigor; " and the Lithuanians replied, 
to revive their drooping courage, " We shall be 
ruined, but we will still be Poles ! " And what could 
be more certain, since the French Mahomet did not 
deign to guarantee their hopes and sacrifices? 

99 

L.ofC. 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Napoleon entered Vilna anxious and discontented. 
The easiness of this victory dismayed him ; he had 
too much judgment not to see that the retreat of the 
Russians was not inspired by the fear of his name, 
but covered deep designs. " I had believed that the 
taking of Vilna would cost me twenty thousand men 
at least," he said. 

Napoleon was furious when he learned that Russia 
had made peace with Turkey, and that he could no 
longer hope for a favorable diversion either toward 
the north or toward the south. The scarcity of food, 
the disorder of the army, the mistakes made by Prince 
Jerome, the continual losses among the cavalry, all 
combined to make him look the sad result of this 
campaign in the face as a thing inevitable. But the 
fatal genius of Napoleon pushed him forward, and it 
was thus that, from illusion to illusion, he rushed to 
his ruin, rejecting the truth as an apparition whose 
presence he could not endure. 

At a general audience in the imperial castle, Napo- 
leon declared in vague and obscure phrases that he 
was come to restore Poland, that a diet was assembled 
at Warsaw for the election of a king ; but that this 
diet was still ignorant who should be king. Count 
Narbonne, who was then at Vilna in Napoleon's 
retinue, said to some one who asked him who was 
destined for the throne of Poland that the emperor, 
having a mania for crowns, would probably take that 
of Poland also. I remember that one day, in a large 
company, some of the French amused themselves by 
having the ladies make the election. One of them 
did not fail to let her choice fall on Napoleon himself; 
others elected his brother Jerome, the King of Naples, 



ioo 



Emperor Alexander I. 

and even Marshal Davoust. 1 I was silent. "And you, 
mademoiselle," said some one to me ; " whom do you 
choose ? " "I have not the honor to know all these 
gentlemen," answered I, in a negligent and absent- 
minded manner. The ladies seemed to be struck by 
the stupidity of my reply, but I think that he who 
asked me that question was not altogether of their 
opinion on that point. On another occasion a very 
stupid remark escaped me. I had just received news 
from the country, where my brother was. He had 
sent me provisions and flowers, and at the same time 
the news that the army had not passed that way. 
Delighted with this good news, and forgetting the 
presence of a Frenchman attached to the diplomatic 
mission of the minister of the interior, I said to my 
companion, who also was French, " Ah, Mademoiselle 
T., how fortunate they are at R. They have not seen 
one Frenchman ! " The gentleman could not help 

1 Louis Nicholas Davoust (born 1770, died 1823). At the age of 
fifteen he was appointed second lieutenant of cavalry. He served 
brilliantly in the Armies of the Rhine under Moreau, and distin- 
guished himself greatly at Aboukir. In 1S00 he was appointed 
general of division, and the next year Commander of the Consular 
Guard, and in 1804 Marshal of the Empire. He took a distinguished 
part in the victories of Ulm and Austerlitz. For a great victory he 
won over the Prussians at Auerstadt (1806), he was rewarded with 
the title of Duke of Auerstadt, and in 1809 he was made Prince of 
Echmuhl for his part in a battle of that name. After Wagram he 
was appointed military commander in Poland, where his tyrannical 
cruelty made him detested by Poles and Germans alike. Having 
served through the Russian campaign and been wounded at Boro- 
dino, he established himself at Hamburg, whence the Allies in vain 
tried to dislodge him. On Napoleon's escape from Elba he was 
appointed Minister of War, and in three months he had the army 
organized on its former basis. After Waterloo he took command of 
the army at Paris, and would have offered battle to the Allies had 
not the Provisional Government ordered him to come to terms. 

IOI 



Historical Memoirs of the 

saying, " Oh ! how you do love us here ! " A little 
confused at my exclamation, and hoping to repair it, 
I said, " It is not the French, it is the army." " Yes, 
yes, I understand perfectly; they are plunderers." 

In the midst of all these evils which weighed upon 
our unhappy country, without speaking of those which 
menaced it, one ray of hope, one glimmer of peace, 
came to shine upon us. It was from that angel whom 
we almost regretted to have known, because we be- 
lieved we should never see him again, — Alexander, 
who, wishing to try one more last and generous effort 
to spare humanity a bloody struggle, had sent General 
Balacheff to offer propositions of peace most advan- 
tageous to France and to Poland. 

Napoleon commenced by saying that after the 
declaration of war he would consider each diplo- 
matic agent as a spy. He consented, however, to 
accord a private audience to Balacheff, received him 
politely, and expressed his astonishment that the 
Emperor Alexander took the trouble to command 
his armies in person. " That is well enough for an 
old corporal like me," he said. 

He rejected all ideas of pacification, letting it be 
understood that the Rubicon was crossed, and that 
fortune alone should decide the result of the war. 
As he was about to dismiss the Russian envoy, Napo- 
leon asked him which was the best way to Moscow. 
" There are several roads which lead thither," replied 
Balacheff, with remarkable presence of mind, " and 
you can even go by way of Pultawa." 1 

1 Pultawa (Poltava), a city in southern Russia where, June 27, 
1709, Peter the Great gained a decisive victory over Charles XII., 
totally destroying his army and causing him to seek an asylum in 
Turkey. lQ9 



Emperor Alexander I. 

An old French emigrant of a name very well 
known, who had made several journeys to France 
since Napoleon had come into power, and who had 
never been presented to him, was at Vilna at the 
time of the invasion of the French. Indebted for his 
life and that of his family to the sovereign of Russia, 
who had received him in his troubles with the most 
noble generosity, this Frenchman felt a just repug- 
nance at the idea of rendering any homage whatever 
to the dominator of Europe, the enemy of Alexander. 
However, forewarned by an old friend of his family 
attached to Napoleon, that he would be called upon 
in an imperious manner to submit to a species of ex- 
amination from the mouth of Napoleon himself, the 
emigrant decided to present himself. 

At the hour appointed for the audience, he was 
introduced by the lackey, who called his name with 
a loud voice in the room where, a few days before, 
the Emperor Alexander had received. Napoleon re- 
ceived the emigrant with a kind smile, said that he 
had heard of his last visit to Paris, and commenced 
walking up and down the room with him while he 
put the following questions : — 

" Have you seen the Emperor Alexander here?" 

" I have had the honor to present myself to 
him." 

" Does he really govern? " 

" He does a great deal of work with his ministers ; 
all the important details of the government are placed 
under his eyes." 

" That is not what I ask. Has he really all the 
power in his hands? Is he not influenced or con- 
trolled by the senate ? " 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

" The senate in Russia is scarcely more than the 
highest judiciary body, a tribunal of final appeal. I 
do not know that it has any means, or even any wish, 
to struggle against sovereign authority." 

"Why did the Russians retire so suddenly, and 
why have they not been willing, here or in the en- 
virons, to test their arms? • They had a position near 
Vilna, which would have cost me twenty thousand 
men." 

" The rapid march of the French army, guided by 
such able generals, has no doubt surprised the Rus- 
sian army, who have not believed it to be their duty 
to show resistance." 

"Ah! you are entirely mistaken; our march has 
not been rapid. I have been made to lose much 
time. I have commenced this war with regret, and 
it will cause a great loss of blood. The Emperor 
Alexander has driven me to it by not observing the 
conditions of the Treaty of Tilsit. The prince had 
his mind badly directed in his early youth. He re- 
ceived false ideas of philanthropy from his tutor, one 
called La Harpe. Will you believe me that in our 
conversations at Erfurt I found myself obliged to 
oppose the opinion he had that an elective govern- 
ment was more favorable to the happiness of a 
people than hereditary power? To govern men, it 
is necessary to be a god. Hereditary chance serves 
men better than their own choice could do." 

Such language in the mouth of such a man was 
indeed surprising, if it is possible that he was at the 
same time sincere. He continued in the same strain : 
" The Emperor Alexander does not like etiquette ; 
he is almost always without a retinue. My brother- 

104 



Emperor Alexander I. 

in-law, the Emperor of Austria has the same manners, 
and he has often manifested his astonishment to see 
me surrounded by a numerous court. I have told 
him that the French need to be impressed, even by 
the externals of power, and that, besides, my position 
is different." 

In speaking of the Lithuanian nobility, he used 
a coarse expression which I will not repeat here; 
and in general he did not think much of the Poles, 
who were sacrificing their fortunes and their lives to 
him. He wrote from Moscow to the Duke of Bassano 1 
that the women alone in Poland had any spirit or 
character. In the instructions which he gave to an 
archbishop, M. de Pradt, 2 he recommended him, above 
all things, to look after the women of Poland, because 
they were all there was in that country. 

1 Hugues Bernard Maret, Duke of Bassano (born 1763, died 
1839). An able French statesman and diplomatist. He studied law 
in Paris and under the new regime he was rapidly advanced in the 
department of Foreign Affairs. In 1793 ne was sent on missions to 
England and Naples. From 1800 to 181 1, ar Secretary of State, he 
directed the Home Department with great credit, and had a large 
share of Bonaparte's confidence, whom he accompanied on his cam- 
paigns. In 181 1 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and 
received the title of Duke of Bassano. He was in Napoleon's suite 
during the Russian campaign, and was employed by him in various 
diplomatic missions. The Duke married his cousin, Mademoiselle 
Lejeas, a daughter of the mayor of Dijon, who was distinguished at 
the imperial court for her beauty and wit. 

2 Abbe Dominique Dufour de Pradt (born 1759, died 1837) a 
French diplomatist and political writer. In 1804 he became the 
almoner of Napoleon, and the following year Bishop of Poitiers, 
and 1S08 Archbishop of Malines. In 181 2 Napoleon sent him as 
ambassador to Warsaw, hoping that he might stir up the patriotic 
zeal of the Poles and turn it to his account. 



io 5 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER VII 

NAPOLEON, during his stay at Vilna, exacted 
a presentation of the ladies at the castle. 
Suffering mentally as well as physically, I thought I 
could excuse myself from going, but my father 
objected on account of the position in which he 
found himself. Some evil-minded persons had rep- 
resented him as a partisan of the Russians, and 
without the King of Naples he would not even have 
been put on the list of citizens which was placed 
under the eyes of Napoleon. Seeing that I could 
not avoid the presentation, I declared my intention 
of showing myself with my order} 

My father hesitated at first, and said he must find 
out if Mademoiselle G., the only one of my associates 
then at Vilna, would wear hers also. I begged him 
to do nothing of the kind. I dressed myself then 
in haste, and in a very bad humor; for they had 
wakened me at five o'clock in the morning, to invite 
me, by order of the police, to present myself at court 
before noon. These military manners displeased me 
to the last degree, especially in comparison with the 
graciousness and exquisite politeness of Alexander 
and his court. Never had I put on my decoration 
with so much pleasure, and, to speak the truth, with 
so much pride. 

1 The reader will remember the decoration in diamonds which the 
author had received from the court of Russia. 

1 06 



Emperor Alexander I. 

I having joined several ladies of my acquaintance, 
to go with them to the castle, they did all in their 
power during the drive to persuade me to take off 
my decoration, and thought they would frighten me 
by saying that Napoleon was a terrible man, and that 
he would certainly say something disagreeable to me. 
As I expressed somewhat freely my way of thinking, 
" In the name of Heaven, hush ! " they said ; " do 
you not know that the walls have ears and will re- 
peat to him all you have said about him? " 

Nothing could make me change my resolution. I 
answered that perhaps I should see myself forced to 
conform to the will of him to whom all yielded, but, 
as long as that will was unknown to me, I would act 
as I was now doing. In fact, there would have been 
as much cowardice as ingratitude on my part in 
rejecting thus, in the presence of his fortunate and 
triumphant adversary, the proofs of the kindness of 
a sovereign so worthy to be loved, at the instant even 
when that sovereign seemed to be persecuted by 
fate. My heart revolted at that idea. I acknowledge 
that I expected rudeness on the part of Napoleon, 
and I prepared myself to answer with firmness; but 
I had not that satisfaction. He only addressed me, 
as will be seen, questions to which very insignificant 
answers could be made. All those which have been 
attributed to me on that occasion are not exact. 

When I was named to Napoleon, his attention was 
immediately attracted by the diamond coat of arms, 
and the blue ribbon which I wore. 

"What decoration have you there?" he asked. 

" The crests of their Majesties the Empresses of 
Russia," I replied. 

107 



Historical Memoirs of the 

"You are, then, a Russian lady?" 
" No, sire, I have not that distinction." 
Later at a ball that was given him, perceiving 
Mademoiselle G- beside me, Napoleon asked her, 
being also a lady of the palace at the Russian court, 
why she did not put on her decoration. Mademoiselle 
G. replied that she had not thought she ought to 
wear it in the present circumstances. "Why not?" 
replied Napoleon; "it is a court distinction which 
signifies nothing; the Emperor Alexander is very 
amiable to have given it to you. One can be a good 
Pole, and wear the crest," added he, turning to me 
with a pleasant smile. 

Napoleon knew how to appreciate a trait of char- 
acter, even in a woman. When it was seen that the 
thing had turned out well I was much praised for 
the firmness which I had shown on that occasion, but 
I only wished that the Emperor Alexander might be 
informed of it some day, and I saw little chance of 
that desire being soon fulfilled. 

At the same presentation, Napoleon, after having 
spoken to several ladies, and, according to his custom, 
asking singular questions, — " Are you married ? How 
many children have you? Are they big and fat, 
hey ? " — he addressed the whole circle and said : " The 
Emperor Alexander is exceedingly amiable, he has 
gained all hearts here ; are you good Poles ? " A 
general smile served as response. 

Napoleon affected to show in public sentiments of 
esteem and friendship for the prince whose empire he 
came to ravage. In the audience which he gave to 
the corps of the University of Vilna, he commenced 
by saying to the members of the academy, "You 

108 



Emperor Alexander I. 

are all papists, hey?" I forget what the answer was. 
Then he continued : " The Emperor Alexander is a 
good prince, a philosopher on the throne. Does he 
protect you? " The rector replied that the academy 
was greatly indebted to the munificence of the 
Emperor of Russia. 

Napoleon had nothing imposing either in his face 
or manners. I was astonished not to feel in his 
presence that emotion which one usually cannot pre- 
vent at the sight of a celebrated personage. All that 
glory bought with the price of men and blood could 
not inspire me with enthusiasm. The glory of con- 
querors is made to shine in history, but it is goodness 
alone which conquers the hearts of men. I had often 
pictured to myself the face of Napoleon with a coun- 
tenance sparkling with genius. What was my sur- 
prise and disappointment on seeing only a little, 
short, fat, waddling man, with sleek, plastered-down 
hair, with good enough features but little expression 
in his face, not even that of hardness which is found 
in all his portraits, with the exception of that by 
David ! On the contrary, there was something pleas- 
ant in his smile, which showed very handsome teeth. 

From a distance, I confess, his sallow, white face 
without a tinge of color, and his antique profile took 
on a character of severity, which disappeared as soon 
as it was examined near. 

Eight days had passed since the entrance of 
Napoleon to Vilna. In this trouble and disaster 
caused by an undisciplined army composed mostly 
of a collection of foreigners, all making war in spite 
of themselves, and detesting him who led them (for 
it would be unjust to attribute to the French alone 

109 



Historical Memoirs of the 

the excesses committed in their name), — in these 
circumstances people had little heart for pleasures 
and entertainments. The Duke of Bassano, however, 
persuaded my cousin, Count P., to give a ball at his 
house on the day of the Polish confederation. 

This entertainment, honored by the presence of 
Napoleon, was as brilliant as the circumstances and 
the extreme poverty succeeding such devastation 
would permit. In the midst of cries of Vive I'Em- 
pereur! the sounds of military music, the light of 
allegoric transparencies, brilliant illuminations, and 
the prodigality of a splendid repast, a man died of 
hunger in the street ! A frightful contrast, but 
worthy of the presence of the man who was to bury 
his armies under the snows of Russia ! 

As soon as the arrival of Napoleon had been an- 
nounced at the ball, several ladies were chosen to go 
and receive him at the foot of the stairs, and I was of 
the number. The marshals of the empire, grand 
dignitaries, not to mention the grand chamberlains, 
rushed out of the hall at the name of the emperor, 
as if an enemy awaited them on the battle-field. 
The grand equerry, Caulincourt, presented steps 
to his sovereign, to aid him in descending from the 
carriage, as if the earth were not worthy to be touched 
by his imperial foot. 

Without deigning to salute the ladies who had 
come to meet him, and turning his back on them, 
Napoleon ascended the steps covered with silk stuffs 
to the cries of Vive V Empereur! cries of which his ear 
was never weary. Far from taking offence at his 
impoliteness, I only thought we had been foolish to 
expose ourselves to it. 

no 



Emperor Alexander I. 

After having chatted with several ladies in the 
ball-room, Napoleon seated himself on a kind of 
temporary throne which they had arranged with an 
arm-chair, a carpet, and a cushion, which latter, he 
kicked away after trying it. Then in a commanding 
tone, he cried, " Let the ladies be seated!" and the 
ladies sat down and the ball was opened. 

For a few minutes Napoleon looked at the dancers, 
addressed a few words to the persons who formed his 
court, to the marshals, and to him who gave the en- 
tertainment ; then, rising, he made once more the 
tour of the circle of ladies, and departed accompanied 
by the usual acclamations, leaving the French ecstatic 
over the amiability of their sovereign. This was 
a characteristic to which he certainly made no 
pretensions, and which it was difficult for him to 
unite with the titles of grand captain, conqueror, 
and founder of an empire. Men and women wore 
that day the national cockade, a patriotic plaything 
offered to the hopes of the Poles, — hopes never 
to be realized, since he who had it in his power 
had never shown the will or the desire to gratify 
them, and they were entirely dependent on his tor- 
tuous policy. 

Expressing my astonishment one day that the 
ambition of Napoleon could not be satisfied with the 
possession of one of the most beautiful thrones of 
Europe, and that he was always making war against 
us, and against every other nation, I was told that 
it was not alone the thirst for conquest which guided 
Napoleon, but the necessity of extirpating the Jaco- 
bin party in France. The remedy was at least as 
violent as the evil. 



Historical Memoirs of the 

A few days after the ball I was riding with Madame 
B., and several other persons, when we met Napoleon, 
who was returning from Zakret with a brilliant and 
numerous escort. He stopped to speak to us and 
asked us if we liked to ride and if we were good 
horsewomen. A few steps farther, and we came to 
Zakret, a fortnight before so brilliant in all the 
splendor of a festival and the presence of the most 
amiable of sovereigns — it was in ruins ! Our horses 
mounted to the lawn where I had danced with the 
Emperor Alexander. The orange-trees were over- 
turned and broken ; the mansion, furnished not long 
since with the greatest elegance, was entirely de- 
vastated ; the fine conservatories filled with exotic 
plants had been destroyed and pillaged, not only by 
the soldiers, but by people from the town. A sad 
silence reigned everywhere in those places where I 
had heard the sounds of music and the notes of joy 
and pleasure. The birds alone made their songs 
heard and had not deserted their groves ; the water- 
falls were drained; in a word, Zakret had been 
turned into a military hospital. 



112 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER VIII 

HAVING given up all hope of peace, strong in 
his own conscience, and filled with a pious 
confidence in the help and protection of Providence, 
Alexander quitted his headquarters at Sventsiani 
and started for Moscow. The arrival of the emperor 
at the former capital of the empire, his presence, his 
speeches, and his proclamations excited universal 
enthusiasm and a species of fervor and zeal among 
the patriotic nobility, and the Russian people, so 
religious and so loyal. As the emperor was dining 
one day with the Countess Orloff, an immense crowd 
gathered round the palace and gardens, desirous, 
eager, to see their adored sovereign. In order to 
satisfy that desire»so natural, the countess had all the 
gates of the garden opened so as to give free entrance 
to the people, who, mad with joy and love, swore in 
the presence of Heaven to consecrate their strength, 
their lives, and all they possessed to their emperor. 
This oath was religiously kept, and Moscow in ashes 
has well attested it. 

How the sensitive heart of Alexander must have 
been touched ! These spontaneous impulses on the 
part of a people, impulses which can neither be 
counterfeited nor provoked, are grand and sublime. 
They can exist only among those nations whose 
hearts are still near to nature and who are deeply 
impressed with religious ideas; who, accustomed to 
see in their sovereign the representative of God 
8 113 



Historical Memoirs of the 

whom they adore, build their hopes of future happi- 
ness on the sentiments of obedience and fidelity to 
which they have consecrated themselves. What a 
constitution is that which has for its foundation celes- 
tial faith and recompense ! What could be substi- 
tuted for it? It would be necessary to commence 
by changing the primitive character of the Russian 
nation. I repeat it, one will never encounter the 
touching spectacle of these scenes of love and affec- 
tion between a sovereign and his subjects among 
frivolous and sensual nations, for a long time cor- 
rupted by habits of luxury, idleness, effeminacy, 
egotism, and cupidity. 

The Emperor Alexander stopped only a short 
time at Moscow. Confiding the command of his 
armies to General Barclay de Tolly, 1 he returned to 
St. Petersburg. This prudent prince knew how 
useful his presence and the example of his firmness 
would be at that capital and at the court in this for- 
midable crisis. Napoleon had quitted Vilna, and 
used every effort to pursue an enemy who always 
escaped him by following a plan cleverly conceived 
and contrived, it is said, by the prince royal of 
Sweden. 

1 Michael, Prince Barclay de Tolly (born 1755, died 1818) was 
a celebrated Russian field-marshal of Scotch extraction, who early 
distinguished himself in the wars against Turkey, Sweden, and 
Poland. He was made lieutenant-general after the battle of Eylau, 
and in 18 10 was appointed Minister of War. Two years later he 
obtained the command of the Army of the West, but after the battle 
of Smolensk he was superseded by Kutusov. At Borodino he 
commanded the right wing, and by his skilful retreat contributed 
to save the remnant of the Russian army. He subsequently held 
the chief command at Bautzen, Culm, and Leipsic, and in 1814 was 
created field-marshal. A short time before his death he was made 
a Prince of the Empire. 

114 



a 

! 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Knowing well the military genius of Napoleon, 
which led him to finish his campaigns rapidly by 
decisive actions, it is stated that Bernadotte coun- 
selled the Emperor of Russia not to risk an engage- 
ment with the "great winner of battles," but, on the 
contrary, to draw him by simulated retreats into the 
depths of the deserts of Russia. 

Therefore "St. Petersburg and Moscow" was the 
watchword of the French soldier, who, always care- 
less and light-hearted, without caring for the result 
of the campaign, coolly asked his way, regarding the 
one or the other of these rich cities as the aim, the 
glorious end, of a long and painful march. It was at 
Smolensk that, astonished at the persevering retreat 
of the Russians, Napoleon said, " My brother Alex- 
ander wants to make me play the role of Charles 
XII." 1 Since he had the presentiment, why did he 
not stop? But his ungovernable pride, on the con- 
rary, made him reject the advice of the King of 
Naples and of Prince Poniatowsky, who proposed 
to go into winter quarters at Smolensk and to 
march upon Volhynia and Ukraine. But Napoleon 
was seized with that mania which is the forerunner 
of the fall of kings, and Providence had marked the 
limits of his prosperity. 

1 Constant says, in his "Private Life of Napoleon," "At this 
period I saw that the Emperor usually had on his night table 
Voltaire's 'History of Charles XII.'" 



"5 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER IX 

I SHALL not attempt to describe this campaign in 
Russia, so often treated of by abler pens. The 
march of the French army, seeming to be directed 
toward St. Petersburg, caused a feeling of general 
and extraordinary uneasiness in that city. Every- 
body wished to leave and go to the interior of 
Russia. People packed up their most precious be- 
longings, to be ready at the shortest notice. The 
dowager empress, a strong minded and courageous 
woman, fearing, not for herself, but for the young 
and tender objects of her maternal solicitude, wished 
also to leave St. Petersburg and take with her all 
those young persons who were being educated in 
the numerous establishments founded and directed 
by her benevolent care. 

The Emperor Alexander naturally feared that the 
departure of the empress would only alarm the 
people, and said to his mother with respectful firm- 
ness : " Madame, I have begged you as a son, and 
now I command you as emperor, to remain." 

Shutting up his cruel anxieties in the depths of 
his own breast, he continued to show a calm and 
serene front, and declared publicly that he would be 
the last one to leave St. Petersburg. This prudent 
conduct had the desired effect, and tranquillity was 
soon restored in all classes of society. 

116 



Emperor Alexander I. 

After the departure of Napoleon from Vilna, 
the French commenced to raise troops in Lithuania, 
and to form regiments. One of my brothers was 
made colonel of infantry, and my eldest brother 
formed a company of mounted artillery at his own 
expense. But for want of pecuniary means this 
armament was formed slowly, and Napoleon wrote 
from his headquarters to the Duke of Bassano : " I have 
just received a considerable reinforcement from Lith- 
uania. Oginiski 1 has arrived with twelve men of the 
new guards ! " 

The French who remained at Vilna with the dip- 
lomatic corps all expected a happy and speedy con- 
clusion of the war. I remember that the Duke of 
Bassano, whose kindness toward my father and my- 
self I am happy to record here, announced to me 
one day that General Kotousoff had taken com- 
mand of the Russian army, and he said, " Now we 
can hope for peace soon, for Kotousoff has a talent 
for fighting." 

The Russian policy seemed to count for nothing, 
and yet had it not also its hopes of victory? The 
battle of Mozhaish or of the Moskowa in promising the 
capture of Moscow was, in the eyes of all the French, 
a certain presage of peace. Already the Duke of 
Bassano was constantly expecting to leave for Mos- 

1 Count Michel Cleophas Oginiski (born 1765, died 1833). At 
the time of Napoleon's invasion of Italy, Oginiski succeeded in 
awakening his interest in Poland. While awaiting Bonaparte's ac- 
tive interference in behalf of the kingdom he resided in Hamburg, 
and afterwards in Berlin. After the treaty of Tilsit he was again on 
a friendly footing with the czar, and in 1810 he was a senator and 
Privy Councillor. The later part of his life was spent in Italy. He 
is the author of an interesting work entitled, " Memoirs of Poland." 

117 



Historical Memoirs of the 

cow to arrange the preliminaries of peace, and the 
young exquisites who surrounded him seemed very- 
anxious about the cold they would have to endure 
in that latitude. Finally the news came that the 
French had entered Moscow, and was celebrated as 
usual by a Te Deurn. 

That evening there was a dance at the Duke of Bas- 
sano's, and I was astonished to see a shade of gloom 
and anxiety on the diplomat's face which nothing 
could dissipate. Nothing was talked of but the 
departure. The minister only waited for further 
details, they said. These details were the burning 
of Moscow, a terrible and perhaps unique example 
of devoted patriotism ! 

After this disaster, the French policy hid itself 
under an impenetrable veil. We learned only that 
Napoleon had decided to quit Moscow and return 
across a ravaged country; but soon all communica- 
tion was cut off. Minsk, in Lithuania, fell again into 
the hands of the Russians. Several detachments of 
light cavalry, Cossacks, approached Vilna. Finally, 
at the end of three weeks, the diplomatic corps was 
still ignorant of the fate of the army of the new 
Cambyses, of the grand army. And still they con- 
tinued to dance and act comedies, for above all 
things the French must have pleasure. 

The Duchess of Reggio, wife of Marshal Oudinot, 1 

1 Eugenie de Coucy, Marechale Oudinot, Duchesse de Reggio 
(born 1780, died 1868), was a daughter of a captain in the Artois 
regiment and a knight of St. Louis. In 1812 she married the Due 
de Reggio. In 181 5 she was appointed Mistress of the Robes to 
the Duchesse de Berri. She survived the duke for a number of 
years and occupied her time composing the "Memoirs of Marshal 
Oudinot, Due de Reggio." 

118 



Emperor Alexander I. 

arrived suddenly at Vilna to nurse her husband, who 
had been wounded in a duel. I shall never forget 
the expression with which the marechale said, after 
having asked me if I had brothers in service, " Your 
troubles have only commenced ! " These words 
were a prophecy only too true ! 

One of my relatives, who had left the French troops 
at Smolensk, gave us unheard-of details of the grand 
army. It reminded him, he said, of the Carnival of 
Venice, or the Toledo at Naples on Mardi-Gras ; but 
he was regarded as a madman and a visionary. 

On the 3rd of December, 1812, there was another 
ball at the house of the governor-general, Count 
Hogendorp, 1 to celebrate the anniversary of the acces- 
sion of Napoleon to the throne, him who, abandon- 
ing his army, had fled, repeating the well known 
words, " There 's but a step from the sublime to the 
ridiculous ! " He travelled under the name of Count 
Caulincourt, and the French soldiers, to whom the 
necessity to make a joke is compatible with the 
greatest misfortunes, said, " Oui, c ''est Colin qui court 
(it is Colin who is running away)." 

The passage of Napoleon near Vilna was an open 
secret. The Duke of Bassano spoke to me of it the 
same day, and said he had found the emperor very 
well and very cheerful. 

Napoleon breakfasted near Vilna, almost at the 
gates, chatting and joking with the members of his 

1 Count Thieny Van Hogendorp (born 1761, died 1830). A Dutch 
general who was minister of war under King Louis in 1806, and the 
following year ambassador to Vienna, and in 1809 to Berlin. Two 
years later he became general of division and aide-de-camp to Napo- 
leon, whom he followed in the Russian campaign. After the battle 
of Waterloo he went to Brazil, where his last years were spent, 

119 



Historical Memoirs of the 

suite and with the Duke of Bassano, while the pos- 
tilion who had driven his horses fell frozen to death. 
But what was such an incident in the eyes of a man 
who had seen three quarters of his army perish with 
cold or hunger, or who in contemplating the plains 
of Mozhaish, covered with the dead, exclaimed with 
transport, " How beautiful is the field of battle ! " 
The saying of Vitellius is nothing in comparison ! 

We soon had a spectacle that excited pity and 
secret terror, in the remnants of that army so trium- 
phant and formidable six months earlier, whose rapid 
march and destiny had been like that of a brilliant 
meteor. During three or four days the streets of Vilna 
were filled again with a throng of men, I cannot say 
soldiers, since it was impossible to recognize them in 
that character under the grotesque garments which 
covered them. One had thrown away his helmet 
and was muffled up in a woman's velvet hood and 
black satin mantle, under which you could see his 
spurs. Another had enveloped himself in the orna- 
ments and vestments of the church, stoles, chasubles, 
and altar-cloths all piled one upon another to keep 
out the cold, from which nothing could really protect 
the men. Others, more fortunate in their booty, had 
thrown about their shoulders ladies' fur dressing- 
gowns, with the sleeves tied about their necks. 
Others, again, trailed woollen blankets after them, or, 
like shades from that place from which one never 
returns, they advanced in grave-clothes and winding- 
sheets. These sombre liveries, these gloomy tokens 
of death figured in that historical masquerade, the 
expiring glory of a great conqueror. 

Infantry, horse, and artillery, no longer recognizing 



Emperor Alexander I. 

authority, without order, without disclipine and 
almost without arms, their faces blackened by the 
smoke of the bivouac, deprived by privations and 
physical suffering of nearly every sentiment except 
that of courage, which never deserts the Frenchman, 
they marched in confusion, imploring help and pity. 
My father gave shelter to a number of them, particu- 
larly to General Jumilhac, 1 the brother-in-law of the 
Due de Richelieu 2 and an old acquaintance of my 
Aunt Radzivil. In this disastrous retreat, of all his 
equipment he had kept only his horse. This poor 
general could hardly contain himself for joy to be in 
a well-warmed room and have sufficient covering. 
He said to us while eating like a starving man, " Mes- 
dames, you do not know what pleasure it is to eat 
once more seated at a table ! " We could not help 
smiling at his black hands, which he assured us were 
quite clean. 

M. de Jumilhac did nothing but sigh after Acadia 
and his good princess. He constantly asked us if 



1 Antoine Pierre Joseph Chapelle, Marquis de Jumilhac (born 
1764, died 1826), entered the French army in 1777; two years later 
he was appointed by Louis XVI. lieutenant-colonel of his guard. 
For his bravery in the Russian campaign he received the Cross of 
the Legion of Honor. In 1815 he was appointed commander of the 
Order of St. Louis. 

2 Armand Emmanuel Duplessis, Due de Richelieu (born 1766, 
died 1822) was active as an agent of the French royal family during 
the Revolution ; entered the Russian civil service ; was governor of 
Odessa under Alexander I. He refused to serve under Napoleon, 
and was prime minister under Louis XVIII. He succeeded in pro- 
curing from the Great European Powers, at the Congress of Aix-la- 
Chapelle (1818), terms much less severe than they had required from 
the French government in 1815. Though poor, he refused a national 
recompense from the Chambers, and when a pension of 50,000 francs 
was conferred on him he gave it to found a hospital at Bordeaux. 

121 



Historical Memoirs of the 

this extreme cold would last long ; and as we assured 
him in good faith that cold at 26 or 28 degrees 
Reaumur seldom lasted more than three days in that 
intensity, he thanked us as if for some veritable gift. 
But it seemed at this time that, to protect Russia, 
Heaven hurled all the rigours of an extraordinary 
winter upon her enemies. 

Owing to the improvidence of the heads of the 
French government, and the demoralization of the 
employees of the army, all the stores of provisions 
and clothes, sent partly from France and partly fur- 
nished on the spot, instead of being distributed among 
the French soldiers, remained intact to the advantage 
of the Russians. 

Vilna and all Lithuania prepared lint and linen in 
large quantities for the hospitals, but all this was sold 
to the paper-makers, and the soldiers were bandaged 
with wadding and hay. 

I have these details from a hospital director, who, 
more honest than his colleagues, complained bitterly 
of these abuses, and with reason. 

My father, being a member of the provisory gov- 
ernment, was obliged to follow the French army. At 
the moment of his departure he gave me a few words 
of advice as to the course of conduct I was to pursue 
to save at least a remnant of his fortune ; for all who 
left on this occasion expected to see their property 
confiscated. 

My father said I would do well to go to St. Peters- 
burg if the emperor did not come to Vilna, and he 
promised to return if I should succeed in giving him 
reassuring intelligence as to his own personal safety. 
He departed. My brothers had left before him. I 

122 



Emperor Alexander I. 

had seen a great number of the ladies of my acquaint- 
ance depart. I remained alone. It was a gloomy 
and overwhelming moment. I remained alone, not 
yet knowing what would be the fate of the town, — 
what Vilna had to expect from the clemency of the 
Russians, and ignorant of the designs of the French 
government. It was proposed to the King of Naples, 
who commanded the remnant of the army, to defend 
Vilna. He refused this proposition, using a compari- 
son so indecent, in describing the position of the 
town, that it is impossible for me to repeat it here. 
He refused also to set fire to the arsenal and powder 
magazines. The explosion of these two buildings 
would have destroyed the greater part of the town. 

On the day of the retaking of Vilna by the Rus- 
sian troops, I was awakened by the sound of cannon. 
They were knocking at the doors of the town in the 
mountain gorge called Ponary, where such a great 
number of the French perished. The combat was 
neither long nor doubtful, and soon I saw the long 
lances, the pointed caps, the shaggy mantles, and 
the long beards of my old acquaintances, the Cos- 
sacks. This sight filled me with joy, none the less 
when several of them, — not to lose the opportunity 
for, or the habit of, pillage, — under the pretext of 
searching for French equipages, came to take my 
carriage. My people, greatly alarmed, came to tell 
me. I succeeded in intimidating the Cossacks by 
speaking firmly, and made them all leave the house. 
I was very well satisfied with my success ; neverthe- 
less, I took the precaution to ask the brave General 
Czaplic for protection. He was the first man to 
enter Vilna. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

Marshal Kotousoff entered in triumph two days 
later and came to see me. I had known him for a 
long time. He praised my conduct at my presenta- 
tion to Napoleon, and said he would take care to 
inform the emperor of it. He told me also that 
my father had done very wrong to leave Vilna and 
thus show his want of confidence in the generous 
character of his Majesty. 

The marshal gave a soiree for me, where he pre- 
sented all his generals to me, saying : " This is the 
young countess who wore her decoration a la barbe 
(in the very beard) of Napoleon." The reports of 
that action, so simple, so natural, were so exagger- 
ated that it was rumored abroad that I had followed 
my brothers to the French army; that I had been 
seen on the route to Moscow, playing the heroine, 
and riding a gray horse in the midst of the ranks, 
clad in a blue amazon. Several Russian military 
men assured me that they had been ordered to take 
me prisoner. 

The marshal seemed almost weighed down with 
his successes and the honors which he had received 
and the distinctions which came in from all direc- 
tions. He had just been made Prince of Smolensk. 
He had a decoration with the portrait of the em- 
peror set in diamonds upon the blue cockade. The 
grand order of St. George had been promised him. 
Nevertheless he was unsatisfied, he said, for not 
having been able to make himself master of the 
person of Napoleon. I observed on his table a 
superb ministerial portfolio of black velvet, having 
the arms of France embroidered in gold on one 
side, and the crest of Napoleon on the other. The 

124 




GENERAL KOTOUSOFF. 



Emperor Alexander I. 

marshal destined this portfolio for the Princess 
Kotousoff. 

A person of the company having hazarded some 
remark about the disasters of Moscow, " What ! " 
cried the grand marshal, "the road from Moscow 
to Vilna is worth two Moscows ! " 



125 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER X 

LITTLE by little tranquillity was again restored 
in the town of Vilna ; but what tranquillity ! 
It is true that the chances of war were no more to 
be feared, but the picture of suffering humanity was 
constantly before our eyes. We could not stir into 
the streets without encountering the dead bodies of 
the French soldiers, either frozen to death or mur- 
dered by the Jews, who had killed them to get their 
watches, money, or any other articles which they 
had about them. The slightest thaw showed traces 
of blood on the pavements and even in the portes 
cochhes of some of our houses. Jewish women and 
even children were seen robbing the dead soldiers, 
or if they were not quite dead, killing them by kicks 
with their iron-bound shoes. 

The bodies of these unfortunates were to be seen, 
frozen stiff in the attitudes in which death had found 
them, — some sitting, some bent forward with their 
faces in their hands, others leaning against a wall 
with the fist closed in a menacing attitude. One 
would have thought them asleep, but it was the 
sleep of death. 

In the search made by the police in the town 
and its environs, the bodies of about forty thou- 
sand French soldiers were found. In entering our 
country the French had brought disorder and pil- 
lage, in quitting it they left disease and death. A 
contagious fever, known as hospital fever, broke 
out and caused unheard-of ravages, destroying a 

126 



Emperor Alexander I. 

large part of the population on the path of the 
grand army. The hospitals of Vilna were infected, 
and a great number of the inhabitants of the town 
fell victims to this new scourge. And still the 
French prisoners wandered freely about the city. 
Nothing can ever efface from my memory these 
walking spectres. I can see them still with wan, 
emaciated features, and eyes of which only the 
whites could be seen, as they sat and warmed them- 
selves at the fires which were kindled before our 
houses to keep away the infection. I have often 
seen them searching in the garbage of the street 
for something to satisfy their hunger, which was not 
the least of their sufferings. One could apply to 
them the line of La Fontaine, — 

" lis ne mouraient pas tous, mais tous dtaient frappds." 

One day I was going out of a convent where my 
aunt was abbess. They had given me a quantity of 
cakes, gingerbread, etc. At the door I saw several 
prisoners who asked charity, and I gave them all 
the cakes. They fell upon them with such voracious- 
ness that I was frightened. My companion, who could 
not rid herself of the contents of her bag as quickly as I, 
stood stifled, if I may use that word, in the midst of 
the unfortunates who pressed around her, until I sent 
my servant, who succeeded in rescuing her from their 
hands, and she rejoined me pale and trembling. 

I had taken into my house one of these poor 
creatures, whose mental faculties had been destroyed 
by suffering. As I asked him if he wanted anything, 
he answered with a wan smile : " I need nothing. I 
am a dead man." It was impossible to get any 

127 



Historical Memoirs of the 

other answer from him. I cannot tell how that 
smile haunted me. The poor man escaped one 
day, and no one ever knew what became of him. 
I had a whole family of prisoners at my house after- 
wards : a man, his wife and child. The man was 
from Genoa and had been a shoemaker for the 
troops; his wife was from Nice. In speaking of 
the horrors of the hospital she said, in her soft 
Southern accent, " Madame, you would have been 
sorry to see it ! " The child, with his golden hair 
and large dark eyes, reminded one of Raphael's 
cherubs. This poor little unfortunate was not yet 
two years old. He did not recover from his suffer- 
ings. He died in the country, where I had sent him 
with his parents. I kept them a long time in my house. 
These poor people, in the midst of the snows and frosts 
of this terrible winter, used to talk of the flowers and 
perfumes of their own country, and of the balmy air 
of the nights on the sea-coast at Genoa la superb a. 

Misfortune had destroyed in the poor prisoners 
even the love of life and the desire to live. In their 
abstraction they would kindle a fire on the floor in 
the middle of a room and sitting round it would let 
themselves be slowly consumed by the flames. It 
was in this way that the military hospital at Zakret 
was burned down, and similar accidents occurred 
several times in different villages. 

In contrast to this picture of misery, we saw the 
Cossacks, enriched by pillage, selling wedges of gold 
and silver, strings of pearls, watches, and jewels for 
a very small price in paper money. They also con- 
tinued to pillage in the country. I had constantly 
to ask the marshal for safeguards for my acquaint- 

128 



Emperor Alexander I. 

ances, and he used to say to me, " You see these 
rascals never have enough, but I will make them 
disgorge ; " and he really did oblige the Cossacks 
to furnish a certain number of ingots of silver for 
the statues of the twelve apostles, at the church of 
Saint Mary of Kazan 1 at St. Petersburg. The Cos- 
sacks sold at Vilna several children of the unfor- 
tunate French, who had left Moscow to follow the 
grand army. These poor little creatures, passing 
from the maternal breast to the strong arms of their 
strange protectors, having only voice enough still 
to cry, could not even tell the names of their parents, 
who had perished, no doubt, in the retreat. 

An Italian singer, Soprano Torquinio, whom I had 
formerly known at Vilna where he had given sing- 
ing lessons, was at Moscow at the time of the French 
occupation. He sang every evening for Napoleon, 
who always asked for the music of Paesiello. 2 He 



1 Church of St. Mary of Kazan, one of the oldest churches in St. 
Petersburg. Its interior is in the shape of a cross. It is especially 
rich in trophies of the war with Persia and France. The baton of 
Davoust and the keys of many fortresses are suspended against the 
pillars of this military looking cathedral. Among the keys are those 
of Hamburg, Leipsic, Dresden, Rheines, Breda, and Utrecht. The 
tomb of General Kutusov is here. He lies buried on a spot where 
he knelt in prayer before setting out to meet the enemy in 1812. 
The ikonostas and the balustrade in front of the altar are of silver, 
being the " zealous offering of the Don Cossacks " after the campaign 
of 181 2. The silver weighs nearly half a ton. 

2 Giovanni Paesiello, or Paisiello (born 1741, died 1816), an 
Italian composer. At the age of twenty he was a prolific composer 
of masses, psalms, motets, etc. In 1776 he accepted an invitation 
from Catherine II. to establish himself at St. Petersburg, where he 
remained nine years, producing several operas and oratorios. Some 
of his best works belong to this period, particularly 77 Barbiere di 
Siviglia. Going to Vienna he produced operas for the Emperor 
Joseph II. On his return to Naples (1785) he was appointed Royal 

9 129 



Historical Memoirs of the 

was taken prisoner by the Cossacks and brought 
to Vilna, where he obtained his liberty. Torquinio 
told me very curious stories about his captors. 
Every evening when they returned to camp after a 
pillaging expedition, the Cossacks amused them- 
selves by dressing up like French marshals and 
generals in the clothes which they had taken during 
the day. Poor Torquinio and his companion Nina, 
also a good musician, were obliged to sing to earn 
their supper. The Cossacks, seated on the hard 
frozen snow around a fire whose flame lighted up 
their savage faces, dressed in the rich costumes 
which were strikingly incongruous with those who 
wore them, — the Cossacks, I say, seemed to take 
a never-ending delight in the harmonious language 
and songs of the South. 

A thousand such recitals formed the subjects of 
conversation in the society of Vilna that winter. 
How we hated the author of all these evils and suf- 
ferings ! I remember one day at a party we were 
inventing different kinds of torture for Napoleon. 
When my time came I said, " I would have Napoleon 
drowned in the tears he has caused to be shed ! " 

Among these scenes of desolation, I had a trouble 
which was entirely personal. I received no news 
whatever from my father and brothers. I was often 
told that they had been made prisoners, which was 
the happiest thing in these circumstances. 

Chapel Master. In 1802 he accepted an invitation by Bonaparte to 
go to Paris; two years later he returned to Naples. Paisiello's 
works comprise twenty-seven grand, fifty-one buffo operas, eight in- 
terludes, and a vast collection of cantatas, oratorios, masses, etc. 
One authority says : " He is superior to his rivals in the suavity of 
his melody and the charm of his expression." 

13° 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XI 

A FORTNIGHT had not yet passed since the 
return of the Russians to Vilna. I awoke one 
morning with that sadness, that heaviness of the 
heart which had become habitual to me. In that 
first instant of wakening I could not tell whether I 
was suffering from a present misfortune or only the 
expectation of a new calamity, when suddenly some 
one came to announce that the emperor had arrived 
that night. " Ah," I cried, bursting into tears, " the 
angel of deliverance has come ; we shall be saved ! " 

During the morning I received a visit from the 
good Count Tolstoi, whom I saw again with real pleas- 
ure. He brought me the thanks of our beloved 
sovereign. We talked a long time of the calamities 
caused by the war, and consoled ourselves mutually 
for the past by the hopes of a happier future. Count 
Tolstoi was about to leave, when suddenly on the 
stairs he remembered the real object of his visit, and 
returning hastily, he said: "I beg ten thousand par- 
dons, but I had forgotten to say that his Majesty 
charged me to ask you, if he could come and see you 
this evening, if you would allow him that pleasure." 
I could not help laughing when he had gone, prom- 
ising myself to tell the emperor this new trait of 
memory in the grand marshal. 

Happy to see the emperor, I felt nevertheless an 
inexpressible anxiety in thinking of my father and 
brothers. They had left their country to follow a 

*3* 



Historical Memoirs of the 

faction opposed to their sovereign. To be sure, they 
had been compelled to do it, in a measure, but the 
fact remained. What should I say to him? What 
would he say to me? How extremely embarrassing 
and perplexing ! But the presence of Alexander, the 
kind expressions of that which he chose to call grati- 
tude, and the thankfulness which I felt that he seemed 
pleased with a slight proof of devotion on my part, 
soon dissipated the doubts which had arisen in my 
mind, and left me calm to enjoy in security the pleas- 
ure of seeing him again. Finally, with that delicacy 
of perception which he possessed in a high degree, 
he seemed to guess my sufferings, and introduced 
the painful subject himself with the following words : 

" I owe no grudge against the Lithuanians. They 
were obliged to yield to force. The secret of our 
operations was unknown to them. They could not 
foresee either the course or the tendency of events. 
Moreover, it was but natural that they should wish to 
recover their country. Nevertheless, the Emperor 
Napoleon had no intention of realizing their hopes 
in that respect, since he refused positively all the 
propositions which I made him, through the agency 
of Balachefif, at the beginning of the campaign. I 
was resolved to make great sacrifices to maintain 
peace and the liberty of commerce, without which 
my States, owing to their geographical position, 
could not maintain themselves. 

" One real proof," continued Alexander, "that 
Napoleon never thought of re-establishing Poland is, 
that he would not accept the concessions that I was 
ready to make to him. I should only have lost a 
conquered territory. The empire would have re- 
* i3 2 



Emperor Alexander I. 

mained intact. He would not accept it, and I was 
forced, in consequence, to follow a plan whose suc- 
cess has been the result of our perseverance and the 
protection of Heaven. 

" We could not risk the chances of war against 
skilful generals, against an army for twenty years 
accustomed to conquer, and commanded by a great 
captain whose military genius was never disappointed 
until now. . . . Rather than relinquish this plan and 
accept the conditions which Napoleon wished to im- 
pose on me, I had decided to make a sacrifice, not 
only of Moscow, but of St. Petersburg, and to retire 
to Kazan in the depths of Russia, as far as the fron- 
tiers of Asia, if it were necessary. I should still 
have lost nothing of the original territories of Russia, 
for St. Petersburg is built on Swedish territory and 
Moscow is an old conquest. 

" But," added the prince, smiling, " at all events 
I should have reserved the possibility of returning. 
I repeat," continued he, " I have nothing against the 
Lithuanians ; it is we who have abandoned them, but 
that shall not happen again." 

His Majesty then told me that he had passed many 
sad moments since his sojourn at Vilna and during 
the six months of the campaign. 

" I have suffered much, I have felt great anxiety," 
said he. " There was much agitation among the 
great minds at St. Petersburg, the greater number of 
whom were not satisfied with the military operations 
at the beginning of the campaign. Under the pre- 
ceding reign and under that of the Empress Catherine 
nobody troubled himself about the affairs of the State, 
but to-day everybody must be initiated into the mys- 

133 



Historical Memoirs of the 

teries of the government. And how can I satisfy all 
these opinions? I do not possess the happy philos- 
ophy of Napoleon, and this unfortunate campaign 
has cost me ten years of my life." Unfortunate and 
yet victorious ! He was triumphant ! But his mag- 
nanimous heart could not rejoice over his successes 
while he saw humanity suffer. 

To spare the emperor's feelings from the sight of 
the miseries caused by this cruel war, a new road had 
been made, which kept him off the route which the 
armies had followed. But one could not prevent his 
meeting some poor, wandering French soldiers. He 
either gave them help or took them on his sledge. 
He brought thus a sick French soldier to the castle of 
Postawy, belonging to my father. The emperor passed 
the night there, left money for the poor fellow, and 
begged them to take care of him. Such was the con- 
duct of this prince toward his enemies ; they ceased 
to be enemies as soon as they were unfortunate. 

Napoleon's conduct was very different: he aban- 
doned, in their distress, his own soldiers, the instru- 
ments of his fortune and glory. 

The Emperor Alexander was three days in coming 
from St. Petersburg to Vilna, travelling in an open 
sledge, which is much worse than to pass the night in 
camp. He said, laughing, " It has cost me the end 
of my nose to come to Vilna ! " 

Tea was served. The emperor liked tea and took 
a great deal. Mademoiselle F., who made it, presented 
a cup to his Majesty, who refused to take it before 
me, saying, " Although a Northern barbarian, I know 
what I owe to ladies." 

The emperor asked me a great many questions 
*34 



Emperor Alexander I. 

about my presentation to Napoleon. I related simply 
what had happened on that occasion. His Majesty 
said I had shown astonishing courage in not fearing 
him, before whom even men trembled. I answered 
that I was very happy to be able to give the only 
proof of devotion which was in my power, and that I 
had never expected to receive such a recompense as 
the approbation of my sovereign. He asked what 
impression Napoleon had made on me. I answered 
that his physique had not corresponded with the 
expectation which his genius had given me. 

" That is exactly the impression he made on me," 
said the emperor. " Did you notice his clear gray 
eyes, which are so piercing that you can hardly bear 
his look?" 

" I found nothing at all imposing in the person of 
Napoleon," I said ; " and I acknowledge, even, that in 
spite of the exceeding goodness of your Majesty, I 
feel more timidity in your presence than I felt when 
I was presented to Napoleon, of whom I knew little 
that was amiable, and only the total want of gracious- 
ness in his intercourse with ladies." 

"How is it possible that I should inspire fear?" 
said the emperor. 

"Yes, sire, that of displeasing you." 

These words received very graceful thanks. 

The emperor asked me also if I had seen the King 
of Naples. 1 I answered that I had only seen him from 

1 " It is an historical fact that the King of Naples greatly awed 
these barbarians [i. e. Russians]. It is certain that there was a 
touch of the theatrical in the appearance of the King of Naples 
which fascinated their eyes. He was always very richly dressed." 
(The Private Life of Napoleon, Memoirs of Constant.) 

135 



Historical Memoirs of the 

my window, and that he had seemed to me like a 
theatre king, with his yellow boots and his big plumes 
a la Henri IV. 

"Yes," said the emperor, " he has adopted the 
dress, but not the sentiments of Henri IV. I am sorry 
you did not hear him speak. He has a Gascon 
accent. At my first interview with Napoleon I saw 
near him a young Turk, who was presented to me 
under the name and title of Grand Duke of Berg, 
brother-in-law of the emperor. Upon another occa- 
sion he appeared in a rose-colored uniform with green 
facings and Spanish slashings." 

When I mentioned a new favor which Napoleon 
had just accorded to his brother-in-law, his Majesty 
said : " He is too good to him ; he ought to have him 
shot, for it is to him he owes his ruin in having de- 
stroyed the French cavalry." 

His Majesty laughed when I told him what Na- 
poleon had said at the presentation : " The Emperor 
Alexander is very amiable. He has won you all here. 
Ladies, are you good Poles ? " 

While we chatted I scraped lint, and the emperor 
said such a pleasant thing about it that I must repeat 
it, to show the grace and delicacy of his wit even in 
the most trifling matters. " One would almost be 
willing to be wounded for the privilege of using the 
lint," he said. 

Speaking of certain particulars relating to Napo- 
leon's stay at Vilna and the services which he re- 
quired of his grand dignitaries, such as Caulincourt 
holding the steps for him to descend from the car- 
riage, the emperor exclaimed : " How could he thus 
degrade the person of an ambassador? What 

136 



Emperor Alexander I. 

pleasure could he find in being thus served by his 
chamberlains and grand equerries ? Am I not better 
waited on by my servant than by all these court carpet- 
sweepers? " Then he added : " Happily, we are com- 
ing to the opinion that a place at court is an honor- 
able career, and that those who fill it have other 
duties, either military service or the administration 
of the government." 

The philosopher on the thro7ie, as Napoleon called 
him, appeared in those words, especially in his indif- 
ference to the pomp with which sovereign power usu- 
ally surrounds itself. Mademoiselle F. acknowledged 
that for her part she found all that very fine. " It is a 
vain kind of splendor which pleases you," answered 
the emperor. Then he spoke those beautiful words 
which I have already quoted, which, however, may be 
repeated again : " One must be in my place to form 
an idea of the responsibility of a sovereign, and to 
know what I feel in thinking that I must one day 
render an account to God for the life of each one of 
my soldiers. No, the throne is not my vocation, and 
if I could honorably change my condition I would do 
it gladly." How surprising was this language at such 
a moment, and from the lips of the prince who had 
triumphed over his most terrible adversary, the ruler 
of Europe. 

" I am badly seconded in my views for the happi- 
ness of my people," continued he ; " in fact, sometimes 
I should like to break my head against the wall, on see- 
ing myself surrounded by such egoists, who neglect 
the good and the interests of the State, and think only 
of their own fortune and elevation." What beautiful 
sentiments ! What an angelic soul this prince showed, 

J 37 



Historical Memoirs of the 

in his love of peace, in his contempt for luxury and 
ambition, and for courtiers in general. 

Then he said : " Why could not all the sovereigns 
and nations of Europe agree among themselves to live 
like brothers, aiding each other in their need and 
comforting each other in their adversity? Commerce 
would become the common property of this great 
society, whose several members would without doubt 
differ in religious belief, but a spirit of toleration 
would unite all churches. It matters little to the All- 
Powerful, I believe, whether we pray to him in Latin 
or in Greek, so long as we do our duty toward him 
and toward our fellow-men. It is not always the 
longest prayers which touch him most." 

" Sire," I said, " I have made many long prayers 
for you." 

He seemed moved, and thanked me with his ac- 
customed graciousness : " The prayers of a person as 
innocent as you ought to be granted." I ventured 
to observe that if all men followed the teachings of 
the gospel, teachings so gentle, so well adapted to 
each one, they could dispense with other laws, in 
adopting the principles contained in that Book 
divine. The emperor approved of my idea. 

I could wish that all kings had been in my place, 
to hear and remember the words of this prince and 
to make them the rule of their conduct. 

His Majesty then turned the conversation to the 
works of the philosophers of the eighteenth century : 
Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, D'Alembert, and others. 
Of the first, I was acquainted only with the tragedies, 
historical works, and the " Henriade," and I knew 
almost nothing of the second. The emperor assured 

138 



Emperor Alexander I. 

me that the philosophy of Rousseau was not so dan- 
gerous to religion as the writings of Voltaire. Many 
of the ideas of that philanthropic and eloquent writer 
seemed to be to the taste of the prince, and to suit the 
turn of his mind. I thought I observed also a certain 
resemblance between the ideas of the emperor upon 
universal peace, and the works of De Sainte-Pierre 
on that subject. His Majesty spoke with great 
praise of " The Genius of Christianity," a produc- 
tion, he said, as justly celebrated as its author. He 
referred to the philosophy of Kant, so deep and so 
abstract that one might regard it as incomprehen- 
sible. Perhaps Kant himself did not possess the key 
to it. 

Suddenly, in the midst of this grave conversation, 
the emperor interrupted himself, laughing. " I have 
employed my time well," he said, " in delivering a 
lecture on moral philosophy to a pretty woman ! If 
any one could hear me, I should certainly be laughed 
at." I hastened to reply that I would endeavor to 
profit by the lecture, and would be the better for it, 
thanks to his Majesty's patience. " Ah, you have no 
need of it; you are already better than we. Besides," 
said he, " this kind of conversation is not suitable to 
all women. There are those who must always have 
only stories." 

The conversation returned to Napoleon. Alex- 
ander was with reason astonished at the improvi- 
dence which had led this great warrior to risk himself 
with six hundred thousand men, without supplies, 
without any kind of provisions, in a devastated coun- 
try, in the midst of the deserts of Russia. This want 
of foresight had necessarily led to marauding and 

139 



Historical Memoirs of the 

insubordination in the army. Napoleon said himself 
to persons who begged him to use severe measures 
to prevent pillage, " What will you have me do ? 
They must live." 

The emperor continued: "Napoleon thought he 
could make the Russians revolt by offering them, in 
divers proclamations, the allurement of liberty. He 
was, however, impolitic to wound the religious feelings 
of the Russian people, by letting the French soldiers 
commit acts of impiety in churches and sacred 
places. Seeing the objects of their worship out- 
raged and spoiled, the Russians saw only a snare in 
the offers made them, and instead of running to meet 
their pretended liberators, they, ever faithful to God 
and to their sovereign, retired to the depths of the 
forests with their wives, children, and cattle, setting 
fire to their own homes and never ceasing to harass 
the hostile troops. Oh, my Barbary horse / " ex- 
claimed the emperor, with a sort of enthusiasm. 
" They were worth more than we were ! It is there 
that we find once more the morals of patriarchal 
times, a profound respect for religion, the love of 
God, and a complete devotion to the sovereign ! " 

Alexander then spoke of the service which the 
Jews had rendered in the campaign by burning a 
bridge to retard the march of the French. " They 
have shown a wonderful attachment," said he. 

" Yes, very wonderful," I repeated, only thinking 
in that instant of the cruelties practised by the Jews 
in Vilna; then, perceiving immediately that my ex- 
clamation was a little more than naive, I corrected 
myself and added, " Not at all, sire, if I may judge 
from my own experience." 

140 



Emperor Alexander I. 

The emperor spoke again of the person of Napo- 
leon, his short stature, etc. " Sire," I said, " it is very 
seldom that a sovereign unites all these advantages." 

" But that is not without example," said Mademoi- 
selle F. 

" Ah ! without doubt," replied I. 

Guessing the application at once, he covered his 
face with both hands, and laughing said, " A truce 
to compliments, I beg of you." 

The town was to give a grand ball on the mor- 
row in honor of the emperor's birthday, but his 
Majesty refused the homage. He said to me with 
reference to this refusal : " I thought that in these 
circumstances dancing or even the sound of music 
could not be agreeable." I hastened to applaud a 
thought so just and so right. 

At the moment of quitting me his Majesty renewed 
his kind assurances of interest and good-will. I con- 
ducted him as far as the antechamber, where his 
favorite coachman, Ilia, awaited him. The latter had 
taken tea with my servants while, by my order, some 
one attended to the emperor's horses. This man was 
delighted with the evening he had passed, which had 
been rather noisy; for bursts of loud and prolonged 
laughter could be heard as far as the drawing-room 
where I was with the emperor, who paid no attention 
to it. 

Ilia assured my people that he made a part of the 
friendly reception to his master, whom, he said, it 
would not fail to please. This servant merited the 
unlimited attachment which the emperor had for 
him. A very touching anecdote is told of him. The 
emperor was accustomed to go about the streets of 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

St. Petersburg in a dorochka, or a sledge if it was in 
winter, drawn by one horse driven by Ilia. 

One day, as he made the circuit, Ilia drove him into 
a side street, dirty and badly built. " Why do you 
bring me into this quarter?" asked the emperor. 
Ilia turned back immediately. Another day he 
drove the emperor again to the same place. His 
Majesty, greatly surprised, said : " It is not without a 
design that you always drive me into this street ! " 
Ilia answered : " If your Majesty will permit, I will 
tell him why, a little farther on." The emperor 
consented. When they had come to a small cottage 
Ilia stopped. " Sire," said he, " here is the house 
belonging to the widow of my old master, of him who 
ceded me to your Majesty." The emperor did not 
reply, but when he had returned to the palace, he 
sent Ilia a sum of money for his old mistress, with 
the promise of a pension for the rest of her life. The 
husband of this lady had lost his entire fortune, and 
died leaving his widow in extreme poverty. 1 

1 At the death of the Emperor Alexander, nothing could induce 
Ilia to leave the body of his beloved master. He conducted it from 
Taganrog to St. Petersburg, and every night, in spite of the intense 
cold and his advanced age, he slept on the hearse which carried 
that precious relic. 



142 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE Emperor Alexander had a reception of the 
gentlemen at court on his birthday. Several 
persons of the small number of the Lithuanian nobil- 
ity still remaining at Vilna came to see me on leaving 
the castle. These gentlemen were struck with the 
emperor's imposing manner and with the words with 
which he addressed them. " Gentlemen," said the 
prince, looking round at the company, " I must com- 
plain of a great many Lithuanians; I am pleased with 
very few among them ; but I like to pass the sponge 
over the past, hoping that you will not place your- 
selves again in the position to have recourse to my 
indulgence." 

In the morning I received an invitation to pass the 
evening at Marshal Kotousoff's. The emperor had 
dined there, and they said vaguely that he would 
return in the evening. I was surprised, on arriving 
at the marshal's to find preparations for dancing, 
musicians, and a crowd of young officers. At the 
moment of the arrival of the emperor they threw the 
flags lately taken from the enemy at his Majesty's 
feet. I saw that he recoiled with a modest motion 
from this ovation. An instant later he entered the 
cabinet of the marshal. The latter soon returned and 
said to me, " We have just been doing some work 
for you." Not understanding what the marshal 
meant, I asked an explanation. 

It referred to an act of amnesty in favor of the 
i43 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Lithuanians which the emperor had just signed; a 
beautiful act, to signalize the day of his birth by the 
pardon of offences ! 

When the emperor came to ask me to dance he 
said : " You will be surprised, after what I said yester- 
day, to find me here at a ball. But what could I do? 
I had to give pleasure to this old fellow." It was 
thus that the emperor designated the marshal. 
" This old fellow ought to be contented. The cold has 
done him good service" He had just given the old 
fellow the order of St. Andrew in diamonds, and a 
magnificent sword of honor, also set in large diamonds, 
and a wreath of laurels in emeralds, of which the 
marshal found the stones too small, laughingly saying 
he would have to call the emperor's attention to it. 

This ball, where I saw only Russian officers, with 
the exception of two or three Lithuanians, trans- 
ported me in imagination to St. Petersburg ; and the 
illusion would have been complete, had it not been 
in the room where I had seen Napoleon and the 
French. I said to the emperor that in the space 
of six months, without having quitted Vilna, I had 
seen nearly all |the nations of Europe, and that they 
had produced on me the effect of a magic lantern. 
The emperor made a very just observation, saying, 
" Napoleon has shown himself the best ally of Russia, 
in making his own army perish." The marshal pre- 
sented to his Majesty a Russian lady who had followed 
her husband to the war, and into the thickest of the 
fight. " I do not approve of that kind of courage 
in a woman," said the emperor when she had moved 
away. " There is another way in which they can 
distinguish themselves, in a manner more worthy of 

144 



Emperor Alexander I. 

themselves, and more becoming to their sex," added 
he, giving me a pleasant look. 

Every day the Emperor Alexander, followed by 
his staff, went on foot to the parade in the square of 
the H6tel-de-Ville nearly opposite my windows. I 
could hear him say to the soldiers, " Zdarowa, 
rabiata ? " that is to say, " How are you, my children ? " 
And the soldiers would reply, " We are all well, sire ; 
and your Majesty?" 

This affection between the sovereign and the army, 
between the father and the children of his adoption, 
and the murmur of all these manly voices was solemn 
and touching. 

As I complimented the emperor upon the good 
condition of his troops, who had never been in want 
during the whole campaign, he said with a sigh: 
" They have also suffered very much. One sees here 
only the bright side." Alexander found it unjust that 
in France the Imperial Guards received better pay 
than the regular infantry. 

Marshal Kotousoff offered to take charge of a letter 
to my father, in which I should try to induce him to 
return to Lithuania. He promised to send the letter 
by a Jewish spy and courier to the army. My father 
received it at Warsaw, which was still in the hands of 
the French. This letter, written with great circum- 
spection, and which had been under the eyes of the 
emperor and of the marshal, made a great sensation 
among the agents of the French government. They 
thought that my father was keeping up secret intelli- 
gence with the Russians. He was obliged to promise 
to follow the French, and only succeeded with great 
difficulty in helping the poor unfortunate Jew to escape. 
10 145 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE Emperor Alexander, during his six weeks' 
stay at Vilna, consecrated every moment that 
he could spare from the affairs of the government 
and military details to the relief of suffering human- 
ity. Always accompanied by General Saint-Priest, 
he went through the hospitals in person, with a fear- 
lessness of contagion which made us all tremble for 
his life. Everywhere order was re-established at his 
word, and hope returned to the hearts of the miser- 
able prisoners. One poor French woman, with two 
little children, came and threw herself at the feet of 
the emperor as he returned from the parade one day. 
The tears of these poor unfortunates caused his own 
to flow, and he hastened to give them help. 

A soldier to whom I had given shelter related to 
me that, seeing a young and handsome Russian 
officer passing by, who had a " good face" he stopped 
him to ask charity; and that the handsome young 
man ordered him to go to the kitchen of the imperial 
palace and to say that the brother of the grand duke 
had sent him there that he might get something to 
eat. " I did it," said the soldier, "just as he told me, 
and I had a famous good chaw J" The soldier did 
not know, till I told him, that the brother of the grand 
duke was no other than the emperor. 

The news of the death of the Duke of Oldenburg, 
the brother-in-law of Alexander, a victim to the 
hospital fever, redoubled our fears for the life of the 

146 



Emperor Alexander I. 

emperor. The day before his departure, his Majesty 
having come to pass the evening with me, I ventured 
to tell him my fears, and to beg him to take care of a 
life which was so precious and dear to us all. " One 
has nothing to fear from these contagious diseases," 
answered the emperor, " as long as one has no appre- 
hension, if one has a healthy constitution. Unfortu- 
nately that was not the case with my brother-in-law, 
and he has succumbed." 

I had myself experienced what the emperor said. 
I was daily with persons attacked by the hospital 
fever in my own house, yet I enjoyed perfect health. 
I never felt any unpleasant consequences. I asked 
the emperor if it was true that he had been recog- 
nized on his visits to the hospitals. " Yes," said 
he, " in the officers' ward, but generally they have 
taken me for the aide-de-camp of General Saint- 
Priest." The emperor related a story in this connec- 
tion which touched him very much, and me equally. 
A Spanish officer lay dying on his bed of straw. He 
had finished dictating a letter to his comrade, when 
General Saint-Priest, followed by the emperor, ap- 
proached to speak to him. " Monsieur," said the 
Spaniard, with a feeble voice, addressing Alexander, 
whom he took for the aide-de-camp of the Russian gen- 
eral, "have the goodness to take charge of this letter. 
It is the last farewell which I address to my wife in 
Spain." " I will send the letter," said the emperor. He 
then had all the Spanish prisoners assembled, and sent 
them at his own expense by sea to their native country. 

The picture which the emperor drew of the French 
hospital which he had visited in the university build- 
ings made us shiver with horror and froze the blood 

147 



Historical Memoirs of the 

in our veins. "It was in the evening," said his 
Majesty. " One single lamp lighted the high vaulted 
room, in which they had heaped up the piles of 
corpses as high as the walls. I cannot express the 
horror I felt, when in the midst of these inanimate 
bodies, I suddenly saw living beings. And now," 
continued he, " nobody will follow me in my visits 
to the hospitals. My young people, who are en- 
chanted to go to a duel or an assault, hasten to find 
some plausible reason for not accompanying me 
when I go to do my duty." 

In speaking of the disorder which prevailed in the 
French administration, his Majesty said : " I wish 
that the Emperor Napoleon could be informed to 
what a degree he has been badly served by all those 
who possessed his confidence." 

The conversation turned naturally to the insatiable 
ambition of the great captain, to the excesses and 
evils which that ambition had drawn down upon 
France and the whole of Europe. " Good heavens ! " 
said Alexander, placing both hands on his forehead, 
" What a brilliant career that man could still run ! 
He could give peace to Europe. He could, and he 
has not done it ! Now the charm is broken ! We 
shall see which will succeed best, to make one's sel-f 
feared, or to make one's self loved." 

What noble emulation in these words ! To make 
one's self loved ! Yes, that was the secret of Alexan- 
der's policy. During the whole course of his reign, 
it was always as friend to friend that he treated with 
the sovereigns of Europe. 

Then I said, " It is not Napoleon who will have the 
glory of bringing peace to Europe." 

148 



Emperor Alexander I. 

"What difference does it make," answered he, 
" whether it is he or I or another who makes peace, 
so long as it is done?" When I said I hoped it 
would take place in the spring, " Why not this 
winter? The sooner the better," he replied with 
much warmth. 

The emperor so desired the accomplishment of 
this peace, the object of all his wishes and thoughts, 
that he felt he was losing time at Vilna. " Not that 
I am not pleased to be here," added the prince, 
"but on account of the march of political events 
which it is so important to hasten, to prevent Na- 
poleon from reuniting his forces on the Vistula. We 
have been obliged to give the troops some rest after 
those hard marches." 

The Emperor Alexander's modesty made him ab- 
solutely suffer when any one addressed him with words 
of eulogy, even if these were true. I told him we 
had lately been looking into history to find a prince 
whom we could place on a level with his Majesty. 
He would not allow me to continue. " A truce to 
compliments, I beg of you," he said, bowing. 

I do not remember in what connection we spoke 
again of the family of Napoleon. Mademoiselle F. 
praised the character of Lucien Bonaparte. " No," 
said the emperor, coldly, " I should not like to re- 
semble him ; " then suddenly he cried with enthusiasm, 
" but I should like to be Moreau. There, is a really 
great man ! " Then he enumerated the merits and 
talents of that able general. One might suppose 
that Alexander had already chosen, in his own mind, 
this French patriot for the execution of his political 
and warlike designs. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

I spoke to the emperor of a portrait of Napoleon's 
son, then the King of Rome, which promised a strong 
resemblance to his father. " That is very fortunate 
for him, if we may believe all that is said in regard 
to his birth," said the emperor. Then he continued : 
" How much it is to be regretted that the French 
sacrifice themselves thus for a man who despises them 
from the bottom of his heart, at the same time 
accomplishing such grand things through them and 
by them. In my interview with Napoleon at Erfurt, 
in reference to some remarks which I had made upon 
the manner of governing that nation, he said to me : 
'You do not know the French. They must be 
driven, as I do it, with a rod of iron.' I recognize 
to-day the truth of what Talleyrand then said to me, 
that peace was necessary to France. I generally 
mistrust all these gray-beards in politics. Being 
influenced, besides, by the great military power of 
the French and the talents of their chief, I believed 
that, in talking to me in this strain, Talleyrand 
wanted to ensnare me and to prejudice my mind. 
To-day, results prove that the diplomat was right, 
and that after so disastrous a campaign in Russia, 
and the great reverses which France has just met 
with in Spain, she must be entirely drained of men 
and of money." 

In hearing the emperor speak of Napoleon's con- 
tempt for his compatriots, Mademoiselle F. said it 
was a great pity that France could not be enlightened 
as to the disasters of the war, and the lies with which 
Napoleon had the army bulletins filled. " We have 
had the precaution," said the emperor, " to have 
printed intelligence thrown in on all sides of France, 

15° 



Emperor Alexander I. 

and in all the ports, to deliver that country from the 
blindness in which she is plunged, and in which 
every effort is made to keep her. We know, more- 
over, that De Malet's 1 conspiracy is far from being 
suppressed, and that there are many malcontents in 
France. We must hope that all these events will 
unite in promoting the result desired, — a solid peace 
in Europe. After the violent blows which she has 
received during the last thirty years, Europe has 
great need of repose." 

It woulcKbe difficult for me to say, from the differ- 
ent ideas thrown into the conversation, whether the 
Emperor Alexander then really desired the fall of 
Napoleon, or even believed that fall possible ; but in 
speaking of Napoleon he repeated several times an 
expression which was very remarkable, " The charm 
is broken." Perhaps he thought only of that whose 
influence he himself had felt. 

The Emperor Alexander said that in adopting 
revolutionary language the French had forgotten 
their own tongue. " It is very astonishing," added 
he, " but they no longer speak French." 

The emperor had a right to be a little difficult to 
please on that point, as he always used the choicest 
and most elegant expressions. 

1 Claude Francois de Malet (born 1754, died 1812), a French general 
and conspirator. About 1806 he was dismissed from the service and 
went to Paris, where he plotted against Napoleon; and for this he 
was imprisoned from 1806 to 181 2. Having formed another con- 
spiracy, he announced at the barracks in Paris, October 24, 1812, 
that Bonaparte had died in Russia, and that he (De Malet) had been 
appointed Governor of Paris by the Senate. By forged orders he 
imposed on the prefect of Paris, made Savary prisoner, and shot 
General Hullin. At this crisis he was made a prisoner and shot after 
a summary process. 

151 



Historical Memoirs of the 

I do not know where his Majesty had become ac- 
quainted with Marshal Oudinot, the Duke of Reggio, 
but he spoke of him as a man of intelligence, and 
showed his satisfaction at the behavior of the mar- 
shal at Smolensk or at Witepsk, where he persuaded 
the inhabitants not to revolt against their rightful 
sovereign. 

Alexander, in speaking of the defects of modern 
education, said : " Our young people think they 
know everything when they have learned to dance 
and to speak French. You can form no idea," he 
added, " to what an extent the morals of our people 
are corrupted. No one believes it possible to have a 
real friendship, a disinterested affection, for a woman 
who is not our mother, our wife, or our sister." 

His Majesty then spoke with wisdom and sagacity 
of the different systems adopted in Europe to sim- 
plify the mode of instruction, — among others the 
system of Pestalozzi, which seemed too mechanical 
and artificial to the emperor, and little adapted to 
develop the mind. 

" To smooth away the difficulties of study by dint 
of force, they make nothing but machines out of the 
young people," said the prince. 

I do not know upon what foundations the authors 
of the two histories of Alexander have been pleased 
to attribute to the exalted imagination of Madame 
Kriidener 1 the idea of the Holy Alliance and a uni- 

1 Juliane de Vietinghoff, Baroness Kriidener (born 1764, died 
1824). She was carefully educated in the house of her father, one of 
the wealthiest proprietors in Livonia, and she was early remarkable 
for her intelligence and for a tendency to revery and melancholy. 
While very young she married a Russian diplomatist, Baron Kriidener, 
whom she accompanied to Venice and afterwards to Copenhagen 

I5 2 



Emperor Alexander I. 

versal peace, — a noble project, which could only have 
had birth in the mind of Alexander himself. 

Neither at that time nor afterwards, when on sev- 
eral occasions he conversed with me, did the emperor 
pronounce the name of the author of Valerie, although 
he often spoke of the celebrated literary men of past 
times and of the present, and even of women dis- 
tinguished for their wit and intelligence, such as 
Madame de Sta£l, whose great talents he admired. 
I was surprised that he passed in silence the name of 
Madame de Genlis, whose pen, equally harmonious 
and productive, has written so many useful and inter- 
esting works on religion and morals, — works which 
will always assure to her the gratitude of all mothers. 

His Majesty having deigned to ask me about my 
family, I told him that I had heard that my brothers 
had remained in Lithuania. 

and Paris. Of a singularly naive and romantic character, she was 
guilty of numerous indiscretions which led to a separation from her 
husband in 1791. In 1803 she published her romance, "Valeria." 
Returning to Rigi she resolved to change her manner of life and 
devote herself solely to the conversion of sinners and the consola- 
tion of the wretched. At Paris in 1814 she held religious assemblies 
in her house, which were frequented by the most important person- 
ages. Her spiritual exaltation assumed the character of prevision, 
and in a letter she foretold in vague terms the escape and return of 
Napoleon from Elba, and his triumphant return to Paris. This letter 
was communicated to Alexander, in whom it awakened great interest 
toward her. She met him at Heilbronn in May, 1815, and accom- 
panied him to Heidelberg, the headquarters of the Allies, and after 
Waterloo, to Paris. In 18 18, she returned to Russia, where the em- 
peror continued his interest in her romantic views, but forbade her 
to preach publicly. She formed a scheme for founding a colony in 
the Crimea, which was to consist of her disciples. Not long after 
her arrival at the site selected, the malady which had afflicted her 
before her arrival caused her death. The sincerity of Mme. de 
Krudener in her mysticism and her apostolic labors has not been 
questioned. 

*53 



Historical Memoirs of the 

" Ah ! I am greatly pleased," said he, with an 
accent of such sincere kindness that I was much 
moved by it. Then he asked me several questions 
with reference to their military service and the regi- 
ments which they had raised against his troops, with 
a simplicity and kindness which were really charming, 
as it showed that he could not entertain resentment. 
I really believe I should rather have preferred to see 
Alexander in a rage against my brothers. I should 
have had at least the courage to defend them, while 
his indulgence made me find them almost culpable. 
This conversation was extremely painful to me, and 
I could scarcely speak. 

It was with the same generosity and indignation 
that the prince rejected all derogatory reports that 
were made to him on his arrival at Vilna, — reports 
often false and always malicious, and which, when 
true, could only distress and irritate his sensitive 
and generous feelings. He declared he would hear 
nothing ; he had come to pardon. 

There was, however, in the act of amnesty one 
article which caused me great anxiety. It contained 
a clause that at the end of March, 1813, the time 
allowed for the return of the Lithuanians, all the 
property of those who had not returned at that time 
would be confiscated. 

I ventured to express my fears to the emperor. 
I said that it was possible that my letter had not 
reached my father at Warsaw, and that he would 
therefore not be able to enjoy the benefit of the 
amnesty. The emperor asked me where I supposed 
my father had gone. I said at random, " To Vienna." 
My mother was there at that time. " Very well," 

154 



Emperor Alexander I. 

said the emperor, " give Tolstoi a letter for him, and 
we will send it surely this time ; for," he added, smil- 
ing, " we have always had, during the entire campaign, 
open communication with Austria. Moreover, you 
may be quite easy; we shall not use such very rigor- 
ous measures. They were announced to prevent 
money from going out of the country for the sup- 
port of hostile ^ar-mies." 

This assurance from the lips of his Majesty seemed 
quite sufficient. The emperor then asked me what 
were my own plans. I told him I was going to retire 
to the country. He wanted to know in which direc- 
tion the estate was situated where I intended to go, and 
if it was on the route of the soldiers; " for," he said, 
" my troops are not all angels either, and any of these 
knaves in the army can commit depredations." 

As he showed such kind solicitude, I said, " I fear 
nothing, sire, since I put myself under your protec- 
tion." His Majesty seemed pleased with my confi- 
dence, and deigned to say that he would seek to 
justify it, and would give orders to the governor- 
general to look after my safety. 

After a moment's silence, " I have a little favor to 
ask of you," said the emperor. Somewhat aston- 
ished, I raised my eyes. " It is that you will think 
of me sometimes." 

" Ah, mon Dien! " I replied, " every instant of my 
life ! " We were much moved. Such was the in- 
fluence of that expansive soul, which attached so 
much importance to the affection of all who came 
near him. 

As the emperor was about to leave, he rose, and I 
saw him looking carefully on the floor in every 

155 



Historical Memoirs of the 

direction and in all the corners of the room, without 
saying what he was looking for. I placed a candle 
on the carpet and commenced also to search for the 
lost article, which proved to be the little eye-glass 
which he constantly used, and which had fallen under 
the table. To-day I regret not having appropriated 
it, as it had no value except that of having belonged 
to Alexander ; it was made of plain shell and without 
ornament. 

A very amusing incident occurred that evening. 
As the emperor arrived, he entered the drawing- 
room preceded by a large greyhound which sprang 
around him. Knowing little of his Majesty's senti- 
ments toward dogs, I was surprised that he had 
brought the greyhound, but I did not show it, and 
soon forgot all about the presence of the dog. 

It was only after the departure of the emperor 
that I remembered that the animal had not remained 
in the room, and I asked what had become of it. 
My servants said that they had taken good care of it, 
and had fed it with biscuits and milk. After making 
every inquiry we found that the dog so feasted did 
not belong to the emperor or even to his coachman 
Ilia, and I never could ascertain who its master was. 

I had the pleasure of seeing Alexander again at 
the court chapel on Christmas. He left Vilna im- 
mediately after mass, almost alone, and without 
escort. Some one said to Kotousoff that prudence 
seemed to require the emperor to be better attended 
in times of war. " Oh, mon Dieu /" cried the marshal, 
"who would have the courage to harm that angel? " 
And yet it did happen, and one cannot think of it 
without horror. It did happen, and it was only by 

156 



Emperor Alexander I. 

chance that it failed, — and not in the midst of ene- 
mies, not in time of war, but in peace, in his own 
country, among his ungrateful subjects who deserved 
the wrath and vengeance of Heaven ! 

It is easy enough to .remember and repeat the 
interesting conversation of Alexander, and the noble 
thoughts which fell from his lips; but who could 
reproduce his expression, his accents, or his counte- 
nance? One feels a melancholy regret in the midst 
of the sweet illusions which delight the heart, in 
tracing these memories, when one is forced to say to 
one's self: "This kind and gentle being is no more; 
nothing can bring him back to us ! " Ah ! in such 
moments we can but lift our eyes to heaven to seek 
his abiding-place. 



i5' 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER XIV 

I ARRIVED at my retreat in the country with 
my escort of Cossacks ; a useless precaution, as 
the roads were safe and tranquillity was established 
everywhere. Full of confidence in the last words of 
the emperor, I felt no anxiety during the month of 
March. But the managers of my father's estates did 
not share my security. They said that since I had 
obtained no order contrary to the general sequestra- 
tion, the government would act in conformity thereto. 

My father not returning, it was necessary to take 
new measures. I wrote to the emperor, giving the 
worst reasons in the world for my father's prolonged 
absence from Russia. I said that if it were necessary 
I would go myself in search of him, and I ended by 
begging his Majesty to exempt my father's property 
from confiscation and sequestration. I sent this 
letter by an old and faithful equerry to the head- 
quarters, at Johannisberg in Prussia. My courier, 
though not very nimble, arrived, nevertheless, with 
all possible speed, and gave my despatch to Count 
Tolstoi. 

My messenger waited three days, during which he 
constantly besieged the good Count Tolstoi, who, 
every time he saw him, had him go to his room and 
told him to have patience, and recommended him to 
the servants of the court, so that he should not want 
anything. Finally he was sent back with the most 
favorable answer, to wit : a passport for me to join 

158 



Emperor Alexander I. 

my father, — of which I made no use, as my request 
had had the desired result, — and an order to the 
governor-general not to confiscate our estates. 

I hastened to communicate this good news to my 
father; but I learned soon after that he had left 
Vienna for Dresden, to join the other members of 
the provisional government of Lithuania. They had 
enticed him there by flattering him with vain hopes, 
in the firm conviction that Napoleon, in the treaty 
which he was about to conclude at Vienna, would 
occupy himself definitely with the case of Poland. 

With a courage and a perseverance worthy of a 
better fate, far from their country, deprived, by the 
voluntary relinquishment of their fortunes, of all 
means of existence, not receiving any help at all 
from the French government, the Poles and Lithu- 
anians decided still to follow blindly the tottering 
fortunes of Napoleon, which, like an expiring flame, 
still attracted and fascinated with their deceptive 
glimmer. 

Warsaw was occupied by the Russians, but the 
result of the war was still uncertain. Marshal 
KotousofT was attacked by a contagious fever, and 
his great age and the hardships he had endured 
during the last campaign rendered all the help of 
art and medical science useless. Marshal Kotou- 
soff terminated his career at Buntzlau, in Silesia. 

KotousofT had consecrated his life to the service 
of his sovereigns. At the age of eighteen he re- 
ceived a wound at the taking of a Turkish fort which 
deprived him of the sight of one of his eyes. He 
often commanded the Russian armies, gaining sev- 
eral victories, and suffering also many reverses, but 

J 59 



Historical Memoirs of the 

he always knew how to prevent among his soldiers 
that discouragement so fatal to armies. 

The Russian soldiers vanquished at Austerlitz and 
at Borodino never despaired of the safety of the 
empire, and respected their old general even when 
he was unfortunate. He was a keen and skilful 
diplomatist, and filled the post of ambassador ex- 
traordinary at Constantinople under the reign of the 
Empress Catherine II. We have seen him nego- 
tiate ably with Lauriston, in 1812, in hopes of se- 
curing peace, which, however, were not yet to be 
realized. He improved the opportunity of the ar- 
mistice by collecting his enormous resources of 
men, horses, provisions, and munitions of war. 

The gratuitous offers of the different Russian 
provinces were so considerable that I have heard 
the marshal say that, not only was his army abun- 
dantly supplied, but that he was obliged to stop 
many of the convoys. 

I will not dwell on the important events of the 
German campaign, which, in spite of a few brilliant 
feats of arms, the last favors of inconstant fortune, 
prepared the way for the fall of the man who had 
been the arbiter of the thrones of Europe, and who 
was about to descend from the throne where his 
victories and his genius had placed him. These 
events belong to history and to politics. The pen 
of the modern Titus Livius, the rival of Richard- 
son and Fielding, has just recorded them with a 
talent which crowns his literary successes, in the 
work entitled, Vie de Napoleon, etc. 1 

1 It is probable that the author refers here to M. Arnault, author 

of Vie de Napoleon. 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

The Emperor Alexander distinguished himself in 
these memorable circumstances, not only by his firm- 
ness and his conciliating spirit, but by his personal 
courage also. Every one knows that at that engage- 
ment near Dresden, where the celebrated General 
Moreau had both legs shot off, the same ball which 
struck the French general passed so near the Em- 
peror of Russia that it covered him with dust. In 
one important action, General Wittgenstein sent one 
of his aides-de-camp to the emperor to beg him to 
retire and not to expose his life, and to say that 
his presence deprived him entirely of the coolness 
necessary for military operations. 

Still, the political designs of Alexander were di- 
rected solely to the peace of Europe and the inde- 
pendence of Germany. A congress, preceded by 
an armistice, was held at Prague. The sad result is 
well known. The hostilities which followed cost 
humanity rivers of blood, and caused incalculable 
losses to France. Count Narbonne, then ambassa- 
dor at Vienna, served the interests of his master 
very badly there. He brought to the Austrian court 
customs which were little befitting his age and the 
rank he held, and which were very displeasing to 
the gravity of the German character. Narbonne 
could not discern the real intentions of the Austrian 
cabinet, or the force of opinion which manifested 
itself openly in Austria, and which finally com- 
pelled its sovereign to declare war against France. 

Soon an Austrian army advanced upon the flanks 

of Napoleon's army, and rendered his position very 

critical. We shall not here enter into the details of 

the successes and reverses of the great soldier. At 

" 161 



Historical Memoirs of the 

the famous battle of Leipzig, where Prince Ponia- 
towski, the last hope of the Poles, perished, one of 
my cousins, Colonel P., was dangerously wounded 
and made prisoner by the Prussians. His wife, a 
very interesting and gifted woman, wrote to the 
Emperor Alexander, asking permission to join her 
husband at Berlin, and return with him to Lithu- 
ania. The emperor granted her an audience, and 
received her kindly, and when, emboldened by this 
success, Madame P. asked that her own personal 
fortune might be saved from sequestration, the em- 
peror added, " And that of your husband also." 

In the same manner he treated his rebel subjects 
taken with arms in their hands. Unfortunately the 
people were so accustomed to his magnanimous 
character that, far from feeling gratitude and admira- 
tion, they regarded his generosity as a duty. Such, 
in general, is the human heart that there are few 
men for whom gratitude is not a painful duty. 

The remark of the Emperor Alexander, " We shall 
see which will succeed best, to make one's self feared, or 
to make one's self loved," seemed to be verified each 
day by the confidence which the chivalrous character 
of this prince generally inspired, and the union of the 
German and Russian forces. 

At the head of these united forces, and pursuing 
the remnant of the French army, ready to cross the 
Rhine, whose banks were covered with his triumphant 
ensigns, Alexander addressed his brave troops in 
a proclamation, of which a few passages will not 
be found out of place here, to show the great soul of 
the prince and the noble sentiments which governed 
him: — 

162 



Emperor Alexander I. 

" Soldiers, your valor has conducted you from the banks 
of the Oka to the borders of the Rhine. ... In invading 
our empire, the enemy whom we fight to-day has caused 
great disaster; but a terrible punishment has fallen on 
his own head. The vengeance of God has burst upon our 
enemies. Let us not imitate them, let us forget their deeds. 
Let us not carry hatred and vengeance into France, but a 
hand extended in token of peace. The glory of Russia is 
to conquer the enemy who attacks, and to treat as a brother 
the enemy who is vanquished. Our revered faith teaches 
us from the mouth of God to love our enemies and to do 
good to those who hate us. Soldiers, I am convinced that, 
by the moderation of your conduct in that hostile land 
which we are about to enter, you will conquer as much by gen- 
erosity of conduct as by the force of arms, and that, uniting 
thus the valor of the soldier with the humanity of the Chris- 
tian, you will put the seal to your great deeds, by preserving 
the renown which you have acquired of being a brave and 
enlightened people. I am also persuaded that your chiefs 
will neglect no means to keep our honor spotless." 



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Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER XV 

IN the mean time, Napoleon had succeeded in 
extorting new sacrifices from France. He had 
once more struck his foot upon the earth, and from 
it had arisen this time, not men, but children, who 
hardly knew how to use the weapons which were 
put into their hands. Yet the French army, whose 
valor was sustained by a remnant of the old troops 
accustomed to warfare, proved by its skilful ma- 
noeuvres the great military genius of him by whom 
it was led. 

The allied generals, not being able to maintain 
themselves longer in a ruined country, thought at 
one time that retreat was inevitable. At Paris, the 
National Guard took a warlike attitude, which it will 
not be denied might have caused the ruin of that 
capital, if Marie Louise had displayed, in these cir- 
cumstances, the grand character of Maria Theresa. 

Alexander, far from approving the plan of the 
allies, induced them to adopt his own, which was, to 
march rapidly upon Paris, while a corps of the army 
held Napoleon in check; and this was, even in the 
opinion of the commanding-generals, a stroke of 
true military genius, to which one must attribute the 
happy and brilliant result of the campaign. 

While Napoleon persisted in fighting the Russian 
General Wintzingerode, 1 the Emperor Alexander ad- 

1 Baron Ferdinand von Wintzingerode (born 1770, died 1818) a 
German officer who entered the Russian army and served in the 

164 



Emperor Alexander I. 

vanced upon Paris at the head of an army whose 
strength was so considerable that Marshal Marmont 
did not dare to oppose him and to risk exposing, 
in the defence of Paris, the population of that city to 
the horrors of pillage. This capitulation, with which 
the marshal has been reproached, and which has 
been regarded as the work of treason by Napoleon 
and his partisans, was inevitable. 1 

Paris saw with terror upon the heights of Mont- 
martre the immense army ready to plunge itself into 
her bosom. Marie Louise and her son having left 
Paris, the Parisians, who were no longer sustained by 
any great patriotic impulse, thought only of their 
own safety, and saw France and their country only 
within the boundaries of Paris. Fearing just repri- 
sals and not knowing yet the extent of the generosity 
of Alexander's character, the greater part of the 
inhabitants hastened to flee, and to get rid of all that 
they possessed at ridiculously small prices. 

The choicest libraries, rich galleries of pictures, 
a thousand objects of art and vertu were exposed in 
the shops of the dealers, who, trembling for the 
treasures which a moment could rob them of, hast- 
ened to put them out of sight. Anxiety and conster- 
nation reigned in that immense city, which was still 
ignorant of the fate which the justice or the clemency 
of the allied sovereigns had reserved for them. The 

campaigns of 1809 and 181 2, and greatly distinguished himself in 
the battles of Leipsic, Lutzen, and Saint Dizier. In 1812 he was 
made general of cavalry by Alexander. 

1 The author is mistaken here. It is not in the capitulation of 
Paris that Napoleon and his partisans have seen a reprehensible 
deed, but in abandoning their position at Essones, after the capitu- 
lation of Paris. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

partisans of the Bourbons alone, filled with confidence 
in the generous character of the august confederation, 
were filled with hope and wore publicly the white 
cockade, as a sign of rallying for the good cause. 

On the thirtieth of March, the day memorable for 
Marshal Marmont's capitulation, the aldermen of the 
City of Paris repaired to the headquarters of the 
Emperor of Russia, and were admitted to an audience 
with the prince, who addressed them in the following 
kind words : — 

" It is not against France that we are making war, 
but against the man who, calling himself our friend, 
our ally, has betrayed us three times; who has 
come to attack and ravage our dominions, and has 
left there traces of his passage which time only can 
efface. I love the French, and I recognize as enemy 
among them only Napoleon. Paris can count on 
my protection. Only the picked of our troops shall 
enter within the walls of this city. 

" I will return good for evil. France needs a 
stable government which can assure her own repose 
and that of Europe." 

Delighted with their reception, the aldermen car- 
ried back to Paris the kind and pacific words of the 
conqueror and friend of the French. Finally, the 
presence of Alexander succeeded in restoring con- 
fidence. On the thirty-first of March the allied troops 
entered Paris. Several squadrons of cavalry led 
the march ; then Alexander advanced, accompanied 
by the King of Prussia, followed by the Grand Duke 
Constantine, the Prince of Schwarzenburg, 1 and a 

1 Karl Philipp, Prince von Schwarzenburg (born 1775, died 1815). 
He entered the Russian army at an early age and served against 

166 



Emperor Alexander I. 

brilliant staff. Then marched, in the finest military 
order, a long column composed of the picked in- 
fantry, cavalry, and artillery of the Imperial Guards. 

Favored with superb weather, this brilliant cortege 
defiled through the faubourg Saint-Martin, the Boule- 
vard, the Place Louis XV., and stopped at the 
Champs-FJysees, greeted by the cries of " Vive 
Alexandre ! " " Vive le roi de Prussie /" " Vivent les 
Bourbons ! " 

Alexander entered Paris as conqueror, at the head 
of his triumphant armies ; and yet, to judge from the 
eagerness of the people, who assembled in crowds 
upon his route to see and admire the majestic grace 
and the gentle and benevolent countenance of this 
hero of humanity, one would have said he was a 
beloved monarch, re-entering his own capital upon 
his return from a fortunate and glorious campaign, 
and receiving the homage of his subjects. 

What a moment ! what a triumph ! An instant 
of intoxication might have been pardonable in these 
circumstances, but Alexander's heart, inaccessible to 
pride, gave all this glory to Him from whom all glory 
proceeds, blessing Providence for having guided his 
footsteps. 

the Turks in 1789, and through the earlier campaigns of the war of 
the French Revolution. In 1809 he fought brilliantly at Wagram. 
He conducted the negotiations which preceded the marriage of 
Napoleon to Marie Louise. In 181 2 he commanded the Austrian 
detachment sent to aid Napoleon in the Russian campaign, and 
took care not to render him very efficient assistance. He saved the 
Prussians from absolute defeat on the first day of the battle of 
Leipsic. After Bliicher's victory at Laon he met Napoleon at Arcis- 
sur-Aube, March 20, 1814, and then fought a drawn battle which 
practically brought the campaign to an end. In 181 5 he was march- 
ing to the rescue of the Prussians and English at the head of the 
Russians and Austrians, when he heard of Waterloo. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

On the day of his entry to Paris, Alexander pub- 
lished the following proclamation: — 

The armies of the allied Powers have occupied the 
capital of France. The allied sovereigns respect the 
wishes of the French nation. They declare that if the con- 
ditions of peace are to have the strongest guarantees the 
ambition of Bonaparte must be curbed ; and the prospect 
for a lasting peace will be most hopeful when, by a return 
to a wise government, France herself offers the assurance 
of that peace. The sovereigns proclaim, therefore, that 
they will not treat with Napoleon Bonaparte or with any 
member of his family ; that they respect the integrity of 
ancient France, such as she was under the legitimate 
kings. They can do even more, as they always profess 
the principle that, for the welfare of Europe, France 
must be great and strong, and they will recognize and 
guarantee that constitution which France shall adopt. 
They invite the senate, therefore, to form a provisionary 
government which shall provide for the needs of the ad- 
ministration and prepare a constitution which will be agree- 
able to the French people. The intentions which I have 
just expressed are shared by the other Powers. 

Alexander. 
Nesselrode. 
Paris, March 31, 3 o'c. p. m. 

The senate, which until recently had always been 
passive and pliant under the despotic will of Napo- 
leon, at last shook off the yoke that oppressed it, 
declared Napoleon and his family dethroned, and 
absolved the nation from the oath of allegiance. 
The Emperor Alexander gave audience to a deputa- 
tion from the senate. " Sire, we have been waiting 
a long time for your Majesty," said one of the mem- 

168 



Emperor Alexander I. 

bers of the deputation. Nothing could have been 
happier than Alexander's reply: "You owe this 
delay only to French valor." 

Alexander repeated that he was a friend of the 
French ; that justice as well as reason demanded of 
France that she should choose a constitution con- 
formable to the lights of the century; that he as 
well as the other allied sovereigns assured his pro- 
tection to the wise and just views of the French 
nation. 



169 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER XVI 

AS the combined troops entered Paris, fifteen 
hundred men of the French army, who had 
been made prisoners in the environs of that city, 
waited on the boulevard till their fate, or rather their 
destination, should be decided, when Russian officers 
arrived in haste, crying to them : " Frenchmen, you 
are free ! The Emperor Alexander gives you liberty 
in the name of your king, Louis XVIII. You can 
return to your homes." This was a very noble and 
delicate manner of insinuating to the French nation 
the choice which it had already pronounced without 
doubt in the depths of its own heart, after the fall of 
Napoleon. The French soldiers cried at once, Vive 
le roi! and asked for the white cockade. Then ladies 
of the highest distinction brought a white flag, upon 
which the soldiers swore the oath of allegiance to 
Louis XVIII. 

As Alexander crossed the Place Vendome, his 
attention was suddenly attracted by the beautiful 
monument erected to pride, victory, and power united 
in the person of Napoleon — of that monarch so 
dreaded, of that conqueror so haughty, who, through 
the vicissitudes of human affairs, was signing the act 
which was to pluck from him grandeur and supreme 
power — in a word, his abdication — at the very mo- 
ment perhaps when his successful and modest rival 
was contemplating his pompous effigy. Addressing 
some persons who stood near, Alexander said, smil- 

170 



Emperor Alexander I. 

ing : " If I had attained such a height, my head would 
have been turned." 

The mob, which is always ready to overthrow the 
idols which yesterday it worshipped, having mani- 
fested a desire to demolish the statue of Napoleon, 
the police published an order declaring that his 
Majesty the Emperor of Russia had taken this chef- 
d'oeuvre under his protection, and that it should be 
immediately replaced by the statue of Peace. He 
forbade insulting or outraging the members of the 
old government by any writings whatever. The mag- 
nanimity of the Emperor Alexander forgot nothing. 

It is said that when the chief of the coalition, upon 
his entry into Paris, declared to the deputation of the 
senate, in the name of the allied sovereigns, that they 
did not wish to influence the French nation in the 
choice of their sovereign, this choice, dictated by 
admiration as well as by confidence, would have pro- 
claimed the name of Alexander, if the natural equity 
of his character had permitted him to accept that 
splendid token of respect. The interest and consid- 
eration which Alexander showed to Josephine, Napo- 
leon's first wife, and to Prince Eugene, her son, are 
well known. 

Alexander stopped in Paris at the house of Prince 
Talleyrand. This was a proof of confidence which 
he believed he owed to the devotion and zeal which 
this man had shown for the cause of the Bourbons. 

Charmed by the graciousness, the intelligence, and 
the affability of Alexander, the French believed they 
had found their Henri IV. in this sovereign of the 
North ; and new songs, which fashion soon made 
national, celebrated these two august names together. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

The French daily besieged the doors of Talley- 
rand's house. They came to converse with Alex- 
ander, not only upon the great interests of France, 
but upon their own personal affairs, calling upon the 
justice of this prince to settle even their family differ- 
ences. Alexander, always accessible, smiled at these 
remarkable proofs of confidence, and no importunity 
could ever weary or exhaust the kindness of this 
sovereign. 

At last, Count Nesselrode, the minister of the 
Emperor of Russia, found himself obliged to publish 
a note, in which he declared, in the name of his sov- 
ereign, that his Imperial Majesty, during his stay in 
Paris, having to look after the interests of Europe, 
could not undertake to exercise any influence over 
the affairs of private individuals in reference to the 
law, or to the policy of the government, and therefore 
he asked them to apply in such circumstances to 
the authorities of the country. 

Alexander also insisted with the allied sovereigns 
upon the most advantageous terms and conditions for 
the enemy, whose glory and misfortunes he could 
not help considering. He wished that Napoleon 
might retain the title of emperor, with which he had 
been invested, which the church had sanctioned, and 
which all the powers of Europe (with the exception 
of England) had recognized ; finally, that he should 
enjoy his liberty, the sovereignty of the island of 
Elba, and all his riches. Alexander's generosity 
could not calculate or foresee the results and dangers 
of such liberality. 

The good order and discipline established among 
the allied troops inspired the Parisians with such con- 

172 



Emperor Alexander I. 

fidence that the same day that the armies entered 
Paris all the shops were opened, and among an infi- 
nite number of curiosities, services of porcelain were 
displayed, representing the entrance of the allied 
sovereigns into Paris. This would lead one to sup- 
pose that the artists, as able politicians, had foreseen 
this event. 

Military discipline was so rigorously observed in 
the Russian army that a soldier was punished by 
death for having stolen a loaf of bread from a baker's 
shop, in entering Paris, though no doubt pressed by 
hunger. The officer who surprised him in the act 
blew his brains out on the spot. The Russian troops 
gave also a remarkable example of orderliness on 
that day. The Emperor Alexander was at the theatre. 
Some one came to inform him that the Imperial 
Guards, encamped at the Champs-Elysees had not 
yet received their rations, and that the soldiers were 
beginning to complain. The emperor left his box at 
once, sent for the French authorities, and made them 
feel that he would not be responsible for disorders if 
they left his soldiers in want of provisions. Immedi- 
ately all the cabs of Paris were put into requisition to 
carry food of every kind to the Champs-Elysees. 

Though now victorious in France, and suffering 
from fatigue and hunger, these Russian soldiers, who 
had seen their own country ravaged by the French, 
had passed the entire day without committing the 
least excess. What men ! what an army ! and how 
great was the prince who had made of his soldiers 
men fit to conquer the world if he would ! 

The Polish troops, who had been until then in the 
service of France and Napoleon, now desired to 

i73 



Historical Memoirs of the 

re-enter the service of Alexander, in whom they 
placed all the hopes for which these brave soldiers had 
so long and so vainly shed their blood. The emperor 
received their homage with satisfaction, gave them 
his own brother for their leader, as guaranty of his 
protection and of the promises which he made them 
relating to the future fate of their country. 

It is a thing worthy of observation that it was the 
Emperor of Russia who obliged the French govern- 
ment to pay his Lithuanian subjects drawn into the 
service of Napoleon the arrears of their military pay. 
He gave audience to a great many of them, spoke to 
them kindly, and permitted them to return to their 
own homes, but would not consent to receive the 
members of the provisional government of Lithuania, 
saying that he had never heard of such a government 
in his dominions. 

My father, on his return from Paris, related to me 
that the secretary of this government had composed 
a letter which was to be signed by all the members, 
which was a species of compact or treaty between 
them and their sovereign. With singular inconsist- 
ency, said my father, — who declared that he would 
never sign such a letter, and dictated another more 
befitting the circumstances, — they had ended this with 
the ordinary formula, " very humble, very obedient, 
very faithful subjects," etc. 

The emperor permitted all these gentlemen to 
return to Lithuania and to take possession of their 
property. 

The Emperor Alexander, in visiting all the master- 
pieces and other interesting objects which decorate 
and adorn Paris, lost no time in seeing that which 

i74 



Emperor Alexander I. 

immortalizes the memory of Louis XIV., and which in 
my opinion proves best the grandeur and truly royal, 
benevolent, and serviceable munificence of that great 
king. I speak of the Hotel des Invalides. It was 
the second time that a Russian sovereign had been 
seen there. The emperor found these old children of 
victory deeply afflicted. The trophies of their glory, 
the cannon taken at Jena, Austerlitz, and Wagram, 
had just been carried away. 

" Be consoled, my brave fellows," said the prince to 
them, whose heart always vibrated to noble emotions ; 
" I will intercede with the sovereigns, my allies, that 
they may leave you some of your glorious souvenirs." 
In quitting them he ordered that twelve Russian 
cannon should be left at the Invalides. Everywhere, 
on all occasions he showed the same nobility of 
feeling. 

The French offered to change the name of the 
bridge of Austerlitz. " No," said the emperor, " it is 
enough that it is known that the Emperor of Russia 
has passed over it with his armies." 

In the audience accorded to the French Institute, 
Alexander responded to the speech of M. Lacretelle 1 
thus : that he was always glad to do justice to the 
progress of the French in science and art, that he 
was far from attributing the misfortunes of France to 
her learned men, and that he rejoiced with them that 
they had regained their liberty of thought. " My 
happiness," continued Alexander, " and my one de- 
sire is to be able to be useful to the human race." 

1 Pierre Louis de Lacretelle (bom 1751, died 1824), a distinguished 
French lawyer, and a successful author. He was admitted to the 
French Academy in the place of De La Harpe about 1802. 

175 



Historical Memoirs of the 

The emperor and the King of Prussia honored the 
Institute by their presence at one of its public sittings, 
and listened to a eulogy on Peter the Great and one 
on Frederic the Great, in which the president adroitly 
mingled the praises of their august successors. His 
Majesty afterwards entered into conversation with 
several members of the Institute, and with M. Ville- 
main, who did not yet belong to that illustrious body, 
but who was already admired for his youthful and 
brilliant talents. 

The emperor received also a deputation from the 
society for the encouragement of useful arts and 
trades, at the head of which was M. Chaptal. He 
thanked his Majesty for the protection which he had 
accorded to the industries of the city on his entry 
into Paris. The emperor responded: "M. Chaptal, 
I desire greatly that the useful arts and trades may 
be extended over the whole world, and I esteem 
exceedingly all those who endeavor to bring about 
that noble end." 

It was with an enthusiasm filled with real interest, 
much more than with a sentiment of curiosity that 
Alexander visited all those places in Paris consecrated 
to science, the fine arts, industries, and humanity. 
Everywhere his presence, his affability, and his ad- 
dresses excited astonishment mingled with admira- 
tion, and inspired the tenderest veneration for his 
person. 

The learned men of all classes and the most distin- 
guished men of letters could but admire that fine 
and delicate perception, and that clear judgment 
which shone in each response of the prince, and 
wondered at the noble, elegant, and natural eloquence 

176 



Emperor Alexander I. 

with which the Russian sovereign expressed himself 
in a style which was for themselves a constant study. 

When Alexander visited the Mint, a medal was 
struck off in his presence, which bore on one side 
the first letter of his name, A., with this inscription 
around it : To the restorer of peace in Europe ; on the 
reverse, the arms of France with these words : In the 
month of April, 1814, France joined the grand confed- 
eration of the Powers of Europe. 

The emperor also honored the institution of Fxouen 
with his presence. In passing through the apartments 
of the Louvre and the Tuileries he paused a moment 
in the salon called de la Paix, saying to those who 
followed him, "What use could Napoleon find for 
this room?" 

On the day of the entry into Paris, the good Bishop 
of Troyes, Abbot of Boulogne, was, by order of the 
emperor, delivered from the imprisonment into which 
the irascible pride of Napoleon had thrown him, 
because that worthy prelate had said in his presence 
that no menace could intimidate him. 

Alexander invited the director of the institute for 
the deaf and dumb to dine with him, the Abbe" Sicard, 
who had been previously decorated by that prince 
with the cross of St. Vladimir, which Napoleon had 
forbidden him to wear. 

Alexander loved to acknowledge and reward merit 
in all classes of society. To the widow of his old 
instructor La Harpe he showed many tokens of 
kindness ; and in a visit which he made to that lady, 
he spoke with pleasure of the gratitude he felt for 
the careful training of him whose loss he still 
mourned. 

12 I77 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Proud of the protection extended to them by 
Alexander, the French artists hastened to reproduce 
the noble features of the author of peace, and soon a 
bust of him appeared with this inscription : — 

"Alexandro Russiarum omnium imperatori 
memores galliarum populi. 

Jura pater populo, diademata regibus ultor, 
European pacem, templis sua numina reddit." 

Wishing to show to the Poles who were in Paris 
the interest he felt for them, Alexander induced the 
Princess Jablonowska to give a ball in order to bring 
them all together in his presence. In that assembly, 
where there were to be found many Lithuanian emi- 
grants, Alexander displayed all the graces he pos- 
sessed, wishing to prove by his generous conduct 
that to love and to pardon was his motto. "The 
happiness of the human race is my happiness," he 
said. 

Monsieur (le Comte d'Artois), or as the emperor 
gracefully called him, " un Frangais de plus" had 
already arrived in Paris, where his presence produced 
the liveliest excitement ; and the Emperor Alexander 
wished to give in that city a grand example of the 
gratitude which one owes for the support and pro- 
tection of Providence. Upon the Place Louis XV., a 
place ever memorable in the bloody pages of the 
history of the French revolution, a grand celebration 
was prepared by order of Alexander ; seven priests 
of the Greek church, assisted by the singers of the 
imperial chapel, celebrated the divine office with all 

178 



Emperor Alexander I. 

the pomp appropriate to such a grand ceremony, 
and before the richly decorated altar the troops 
marched on their return from a brilliant review. An 
immense throng assembled to witness this spectacle 
whose novelty excited the curiosity of the Parisians. 
As the sovereigns ascended to the altar a Te Deum 
was sung and incense perfumed the air, and the 
princes as well as their soldiers bent the knee to 
receive the divine benediction and to humble them- 
selves before Him who rules over kings. 

As soon as Louis XVIII. had returned to France, 
and to the throne of his ancestors, Alexander hastened 
to go to him in Compiegne. He arrived without 
retinue, accompanied only by his aide-de-camp, 
Czernischeff. The Prince de Cond6 1 received his Im- 
perial Majesty at the top of the staircase, and con- 
ducted him into a salon where the King of France 
awaited him. The meeting of the two monarchs was 
as touching as affectionate. The conversation which 
followed was the overflowing of two noble hearts. 
At the request of the King of France, Alexander at 
once granted liberty to one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand French prisoners of war in Russia. 

" No matter," said Louis XVIII., " under what flag 
they have fought ! They are unfortunate, and we 
must regard them as our children ! " 

At the entry of the king into the capital of his 
kingdom, the sovereign allies dined at the Tuileries, 

1 Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince de Conde (born 1736, died 
1818). At the Restoration he returned to France, and Louis XVIII. 
appointed him colonel-general of infantry and master of the royal 
household. On the occasion of Alexander's visit to the king the 
Prince de Conde was attended by his son, the Due de Bourbon, who 
was the last of the distinguished race of the Condes. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

and the king, probably in conformity with some 
ancient rule of etiquette at the court of France, passed 
first into the banqueting-hall. The Emperor Alex- 
ander, a little surprised, said, smiling, to some persons 
near him, "We barbarians of the North are more 
polite when we are at home." 



180 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XVII 

AFTER having guaranteed the tranquillity and 
independence of the French people, and the 
integrity of the boundaries of their territory, by a 
treaty of peace more advantageous to France than 
she had dared to expect after her reverses, the allied 
sovereigns quitted Paris and France to go to Eng- 
land. 

Alexander and the King of Prussia embarked at 
Boulogne, where a fleet awaited them commanded by 
the grand admiral, the Duke of Clarence. Their rapid 
passage was made amid the sound of salutes fired by 
the English and Russian fleets, and an immense 
throng of people covered the shores of England to 
witness the landing of the two sovereigns. 

The princes mounted the carriages destined for 
them, and the people, by a spontaneous movement, to 
which all resistance would have been useless, de- 
tached the horses and drew the carriages as far as 
Dover, amidst the wildest acclamations and cries of 
" Long live the Emperor Alexander ! " " Long live 
the King of Prussia ! " 

On the morrow the two monarchs, to evade the 
energetic demonstrations of the English people, and, 
to use an English expression, greatly to their disap- 
pointment, left incognito in post-carriages. They 
arrived without accident and without demonstration 
in London. The Emperor of Russia stopped at 
the house occupied by her Highness the Imperial 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Grand Duchess Catherine, his sister, who had pre- 
ceded him to England. To satisfy the demands of 
the crowd assembled, eager to see the features of 
the restorer of peace in Europe, and of a conqueror 
endowed with the love of humanity and greatness 
of soul, Alexander, upon his arrival, was obliged to 
show himself upon the balcony and to receive the 
homage of the sons of Albion. 

In the streets where the cortege of the sovereigns 
was to pass, the roofs of the houses were removed to 
make places for the curious. Even before the house 
which the emperor occupied seats and platforms were 
erected where ladies came with tickets to see the 
Emperor Alexander on his passage to and from his 
house. 

The emperor gave audience, in his rooms of cere- 
mony at St. James Palace, to the lord-mayor of Lon- 
don, accompanied by the principal aldermen in grand 
costume. 

" Will you allow us," said the lord-mayor, " to show 
your Imperial Majesty how we feel ourselves honored 
to-day, when Great Britain has the happiness to re- 
ceive a monarch so great by the high rank which he 
fills, and greater still by the qualities of his heart, 
which is noble, generous, good, and just? " 

Alexander responded in English : " Receive my 
thanks, gentlemen, for the very flattering address 
which you have just made me. I have for a long 
time wished to see England, and now I find myself 
here with so much the more satisfaction since, after 
this memorable war, Europe has gained a peace 
which I hope will conduce to the happiness of the 
human race. Say to your compatriots from me that 

182 



Emperor Alexander I. 

the English nation has every right to my esteem. 
Her conduct in this last and painful struggle has ex- 
cited my admiration, and that of the whole world. 
During the war I have always shown myself a faith- 
ful ally of Great Britain, and in peace I will be her 
constant friend." 

I will not undertake to describe the brilliant festivi- 
ties for which they had been for a long time prepar- 
ing in England : balls where there were three thousand 
guests ; sumptuous dinners given by the city of Lon- 
don with numerous toasts, always accompanied by 
the beloved refrain, " God save the king," or " Rule 
Britannia." There were spectacles and naval festi- 
vals at Woolwich and at Portsmouth, and nothing 
was wanting in the succession of rejoicings and cele- 
brations. 

The Emperor Alexander visited with interest the 
environs of London as well as the public establish- 
ments of that great city ; among others the Bank of 
England, to which he gave particular attention, say- 
ing that all he had observed confirmed him in the 
opinion that England, by the extent of her commer- 
cial relations, her enormous wealth, and the estimable 
character of her people, was well worthy of the 
renown which she enjoyed. 

Alexander went also, with his sister the Grand 
Duchess Catherine, to Oxford, where he visited most 
carefully the famous university; and he, as well as 
the King of Prussia, accepted the degree of Doctor 
of Civil Law. This ceremony took place with great 
pomp in the presence of a great number of spectators 
of both sexes, the students in the black gown. The 
prince regent, in cap and gown, having already been 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

promoted to the dignity of doctor, received the two 
august candidates in the great reunion hall. The 
orator of the university delivered an oration in Latin 
filled with eulogies of the two monarchs ; then sev- 
eral students declaimed pieces of poetry on the burn- 
ing of Moscow, the fall of Napoleon, the constancy 
and magnanimity of the allies, the wisdom of the 
prince regent, etc., etc. 

The emperor honored Blenheim with his presence, 
and the Countess of Jersey 1 gave a magnificent ball 
in his honor. He visited Richmond, Greenwich, 
Chelsea, and other public places. 

After a sojourn of nearly four weeks, which passed 
like enchantment in the midst of all this magical 
display of wealth and power, Alexander quitted 
England for Holland, where he made a pilgrimage 
to the house in which Peter the Great had lived at 
Saardam. 

He then joined the Empress Elizabeth at Brussels. 
After an absence of one year and after a war ever 
glorious and memorable, Russia was to see her 
sovereign once more. The letter from this prince 
to WiazmintofT, Commander-in-chief at St. Peters- 
burg, is an example of that spirit of modesty and 
piety which distinguished the Emperor Alexander : 

" Being informed of the preparations which are being 
made for our reception upon our return, and having al- 
ways felt a repugnance for that kind of homage, I consider 

1 Sarah Sophia, eldest child of John, tenth Earl of Westmore- 
land, succeeded by bequest to the immense fortune of her maternal 
grandfather. In 1804 she married George, the fifth Earl of Jersey. 
He was twice Lord Chamberlain to William IV., and twice Master 
of the Horse to Queen Victoria. 

184 






Emperor Alexander I. 

it to-day more superfluous than ever. The All Powerful 
alone has brought about the great events which have put 
an end to a bloody war in Russia. Therefore make my 
irrevocable will known, to stop all kinds of shows and 
ceremonials relative to our return into our states. Send 
orders to the governors of the provinces that they must 
upon no pretext whatever leave the capitals of their govern- 
ments. I hold you responsible for the execution of this 
order." 

In returning to St. Petersburg the emperor travel- 
led rapidly through Lithuania, not stopping at Vilna. 
I record a few anecdotes which will show that pros- 
perity, success, and glory had not changed his ami- 
able character. 

Travelling as usual without retinue, or else separated 
from them, the emperor stopped at a country church 
to hear a mass ; when it was finished he approached 
the priest to kiss his hand, a mark of respect which 
is always accorded to ministers of our religion. The 
vicar, not knowing the emperor (I have the story 
from the emperor himself), kissed his forehead. In 
leaving the church, which was empty, he perceived 
only one woman, who was waiting for her carriage. 
He bowed, asking her where she was going. She 
answered, " to Vilkomir." It was the town where 
his Majesty was to change horses. As the lady's 
carriage did not arrive, the emperor proposed that 
she should get into his chaise. Thinking that he was 
a simple Russian officer, she consented gladly and 
explained to the emperor that she was obliged to go 
to Vilkomir to attend a lawsuit, which she feared she 
would lose although her case was just; " for," added 
she, " what justice can a poor widow without protec- 
ts 



Historical Memoirs of the 

tion expect ? " She had been advised, she said, to 
apply to the governor-general of Lithuania, but she 
had not the honor of his acquaintance, and had no 
means of attracting the interest of the secretary of 
the government. 

The conversation amused the emperor extremely, 
and he hastened to offer his influence for the lady 
with M. Korsakoff. The poor widow thanked him 
for his kindness, but did not seem to attach much 
importance to the offers of the services of an officer 
of low rank. 

Finally they arrived at Vilkomir. What was the 
surprise of the followers of the emperor to see him 
arrive seated at the side of a woman who was neither 
young, pretty, nor in any way distinguished in her 
appearance. But nothing could equal the confusion 
and astonishment of the poor woman, when she saw 
by the signs of respect which were shown to her 
travelling companion, that she had been so long 
with the emperor, her sovereign. The most fortu- 
nate part of this meeting for her was that she gained 
her suit, thanks to the influence in which, at first, she 
had had so little confidence. 

The emperor liked very much to travel incognito. 
He often entered private houses which he found on 
the way, chatted with the inmates, attracted their 
confidence by his agreeable manner, asked questions, 
and discovered by this means many abuses of power 
which were hidden from him, and which were in- 
jurious to the welfare of his subjects. 

One day he entered in this way the house of a 
country gentleman, a very good man, who re- 
ceived him cordially, and who, charmed by the 

186 



Emperor Alexander I. 

friendly manner with which his guest responded to 
his hospitality in taking the beer which he offered, 
exclaimed : — 

" If all your comrades only resembled you ! Un- 
fortunately the greater part of them, especially the 
officers of the guards, are hard and insolent and make 
us fear the passage of the troops through the country 
like the plague. And now, my dear friend," he 
said, becoming more and more friendly with each 
glass of beer which he drank, " tell me, I beg of you, 
your name, that I may know whom I have the honor 
to receive under my roof." 

The emperor, a little embarrassed, answered that 
he was called an honest man. " Very well, my dear 
honest man" replied the gentleman, embracing the 
emperor heartily, " the blessings of Heaven be with 
you ! " Just then several persons of the imperial 
retinue arrived; the incognito was discovered and 
the gentleman trembling and confused fell at the 
feet of the emperor, who raised him kindly, and at 
parting left a token of remembrance. 



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CHAPTER XVIII 

IF the modesty of Alexander led him to suppress 
the pomp of public homage at the time of his 
return to the capital of his empire, it could not sup- 
press the sentiments of love and admiration which 
his presence inspired. 

What a moment was that for the heart of a mother, 
when the Empress Marie held in her arms a son so 
worthy of her for his virtues, so worthy for his wis- 
dom ; this prince, the honor and glory of Russia, the 
peacemaker of Europe ! He alone, by the influence 
of his character, guided and inspired by religion, had 
destroyed the works of a mighty genius, and had 
robbed Napoleon of the glorious fruit of twenty years' 
labor and many victories. After vain and unsuccess- 
ful attempts to resist him, the sovereigns of Europe 
had finally submitted to the fatal charm exerted over 
them by him whom they regarded as the scourge of 
God, against which there was no protection. But 
Alexander came and said, " He is not invincible ; let 
us put our confidence in Providence." 

Satisfied with having established the standing of 
Russia, and with having made known the noble char- 
acter of the people whom he governed ; not attribut- 
ing any of the successes to himself; showing as much 
moderation in prosperity as he had shown steadfast- 
ness in adversity, Alexander not only succeeded in 
winning the admiration of the allied sovereigns, but 
he knew how to inspire their sincere affection, and 

188 






Emperor Alexander I. 

for the rest of his life he remained their counsellor 
and friend. 

The blessing of the Almighty alone could have 
accomplished the great deeds which Alexander had 
directed, and the synod, the Council of State, and 
the Senate, wished to immortalize the great events of 
the Russian nation and the glory of their sovereign. 
They sent, therefore, a deputation, composed of Prince 
Kourakine, 1 private counsellor, General TormasofF, and 
Count Sottikoff, to offer his Imperial Majesty the sur- 
name of the Blessed, — a glorious title without doubt, 
but one which it seemed could not wound the mod- 
esty of the emperor, since it indicated that all the 
great things which he had accomplished were ratified 
by the seal of Providence. The deputation begged 
his Majesty in the name of the State to consent to 
their raising a monument in St. Petersburg to immor- 
talize such glorious memories, with this inscription : 
" To Alexander the Blessed, Emperor of all the Rus- 
sias, magnanimous restorer of the Powers of Europe. 
Grateful Russia!' 

The emperor received the deputation with his ac- 
customed graciousness, and replied to the address 
which they made him as follows: " In receiving the 
petition of the Sacred Synod, the Council of State, 
and the Senate, to raise a monument to our memory 
in the capital of our empire, offering us the surname 
of the Blessed, I have felt, to the depths of my heart 
the most lively satisfaction, recognizing on the one 
hand the blessings of Providence, and on the other 

1 Prince Alexandre Kourakine (born 1752, died 1818) was a favorite 
courtier of Paul I. and was greatly esteemed by Alexander. From 
1S08 to 181 2 he was Russian ambassador to Paris. 

189 



Historical Memoirs of the 

the sentiments of the united empire. They offer me 
a title which seems to me the more flattering as all 
my thoughts, all the desires of my soul, all my prayers 
are for the benediction of the Most High upon the 
people whom he has confided to me, and that I may 
be a blessing to my faithful subjects. 

" But in desiring to attain this end, I cannot flatter 
myself that I have attained it ; I cannot allow myself 
to accept and bear this name, for by so doing I should 
give my subjects an example contrary to the sen- 
timents of moderation and to the spirit of humility 
which I endeavor to inspire in them. Therefore, in 
showing them my gratitude I ask the departments of 
State to regard this thing as not having been pro- 
posed. Elevate for me a monument in your hearts 
like the one I bear in my heart for you ! As my 
people bless me, so I bless them ! May Russia be 
happy, and may the blessing of God be with her and 
with me ! " 

Alexander did not seek repose from the labors of 
the long campaign except in untiring and constant 
application to his duties as ruler, and in mitigating 
the ills which his empire had undergone in conse- 
quence of the war. Forced to quit the country once 
more to attend the Congress of Vienna, he hastened 
to bring to these evils the promptest and most effi- 
cacious remedies. He commenced by ordering as- 
semblies to be held in all parts of the empire to 
return thanks to Providence for the safety of Russia. 
He instituted a cross of honor for the clergy with the 
date 1 8 12. The army received a medal with the date 
of its entrance to Paris. He ordered also a medal 
with the ribbon of St. Vladimir for the Russian nobil- 

190 



Emperor Alexander I. 

ity who had distinguished themselves by so many 
heroic sacrifices for the country, and he gave to the 
heads of families the honor of wearing this badge of 
distinction. The commercial class obtained also a 
recognition of its services, — a medal with the ribbon 
of St. Anne. 

His Majesty remitted all arrearages of taxes 
throughout the whole empire, from the year 1813, 
also all fines, expenses, and penalties accruing there- 
from. He granted pardon to all prisoners not guilty 
of murder or robbery. Finally, he extended his clem- 
ency to all those who, from various motives, had 
allowed themselves, against their natural inclinations, 
to be led over to the side of the enemy. At the 
same time he ordered repayment to be made to those 
provinces of the empire which had made considerable 
advances to the government during the war. 

The emperor addressed a letter to the committee 
for the education of the clergy, which closed with the 
following religious sentiments : — 

" In confirming all that has been presented to me by 
this commission, I think it necessary to express my opinion 
in regard to the education of young ecclesiastics. Educa- 
tion is, properly speaking, only the extension of enlighten- 
ment. It ought, therefore, to seek to extend and spread 
that light which lightens the darkness and which the dark- 
ness has not known. The pupils should be directed to the 
real sources of good, by those means which the Evangelist 
has taught us with so much simplicity and wisdom in these 
words, ' Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light? The 
spirit of Christianity is therefore, and ought to be, the 
foundation of Christian and public instruction, particularly 
that which concerns young men destined for the church, 

191 



Historical Memoirs of the 

since it serves to guard them from error, by submitting 
themselves to the Divine wisdom. I am persuaded that 
the commission, by imploring the help of the Saviour, will 
direct all their efforts toward that end without which no 
one can look for the real fruit of his labors." 



IQ2 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XIX 

IN passing through Poland on his way to Vienna, 
the emperor was pleased to admit into his pres- 
ence a deputation of Poles from Warsaw, whose chief, 
Senator Kicki addressed his Majesty, expressing in 
the name of his compatriots their sentiments of grati- 
tude and devotion, as well as their unlimited confi- 
dence in the generous protection of Alexander. The 
emperor replied in terms flattering to the Poles. He 
said he was going to Vienna to accomplish a great 
work which he had undertaken in their favor. " I 
hope," added the emperor, "that its success will 
justify the confidence of your nation ; the happiness 
of Poland will be my reward." 

The emperor passed by Pulhawy, a chateau of the 
princes Czartoryski, which several years previously had 
had the honor of receiving his Majesty. The sojourn 
of about a fortnight at that time had left ineffaceable 
remembrances in the minds of his noble hosts, loaded 
as they were with marks of an august friendship. 

Beside the numerous family of Princess Czartory- 
ska, 1 composed of her two sons, the Princess of Wur- 

1 Princess Isabella Fortunee Czartoryska (born 1743, died 1835) 
was the daughter of Count Fleming of Saxony. She married the 
Polish statesman, Prince Adam Casimir Czartoryski. Her beauty and 
mental endowments gained her celebrity and much political influence. 
Prince Czartoryski had joined Napoleon's invading army, and had 
been appointed field-marshal of the Polish Diet; he therefore thought 
it wise not to obtrude himself on the Emperor Alexander. 

Marie Czartoryska, the daughter of the preceding, was married 
13 193 



Historical Memoirs of the 

temberg, and the Countess Zamoyska, her daughters, 
a great number of people of distinction, among others 
my Aunt Radzivil, her son the Prince Antoine, 
Countess Rzewuska, General Krasinski, Senator Nov- 
osiltzoff, 1 vice-president of the council, and a new 
deputation from Warsaw, were assembled at Pulhawy 
to enjoy the pleasure of seeing Alexander, and of 
offering their homage. The kindness of the emperor, 
which made itself felt in the slightest words which he 
spoke, and which came from a heart which neither 
power nor prosperity could change, — this kindness 
inspired enthusiasm, gratitude, devotion, and confi- 
dence. Alexander said to the Polish deputies, " As- 
sure the people of Warsaw of my solicitude for them ; 
and if I delay my arrival at Warsaw, it will only be 
to consolidate their fortune." 

At the moment of his Majesty's departure, and 
after having received his adieux, Princess Czartory- 
ska, her children, and the whole company preceded 
the emperor to the boat in which he and his suite 
were to cross the Vistula, a short distance from the 
chateau. The emperor seemed agreeably surprised 
by this zeal which had no other end than to enjoy 
his presence a few moments longer, and he acknowl- 
edged it with his accustomed grace. By an excess 
of gallantry, in spite of the coolness of the evening 
augmented by that of the water, the emperor would 
not keep on his cloak in the presence of the ladies. 

October 27, 1784, to Prince Louis of Wiirtemberg. When he declined 
to fight against Russia in behalf of Poland, he lost his command in 
the Polish army, and his wife refused to live with him. 

1 Baron Nicholas de Novosiltzoff, a Russian diplomat who enjoyed 
the favor of Emperor Alexander, and was sent by him on several 
important missions to Germany and England. He died in 1838. 

194 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Encouraged by the amiable remarks which he ad- 
dressed them, Princess Czartoryska, and other ladies 
begged to be allowed to take a few feathers from 
his plume. Apparently amused by this demand, he 
instantly hastened to satisfy their wish. 

The sovereigns of Europe having agreed to meet at 
Vienna, either in person or through their ministers, 
to discuss the rights and interests of the nations, the 
question of the order of precedence was immediately 
agitated. With his usual modesty, far from demand- 
ing the pre-eminence which was due him, wishing on 
the contrary to avoid all discussion capable of caus- 
ing ill feeling, Alexander proposed that the council 
should be admitted alphabetically, which would place 
him far from the first place; always magnanimous 
in council and where important interests were at 
stake, Alexander was the amiable prince, the agree- 
able man in all the reunions where he appeared. 

His august sisters, the Grand Duchess Catherine, 
afterwards the Queen of Wiirtemberg, and the Grand 
Duchess of Weimar were also at Vienna. It was 
especially in their society that the etiquette of the 
sovereign disappeared, and gave place to amiable 
pleasantries. 

There was a great resemblance between the Grand 
Duchess Catherine and the emperor, and to make it 
more striking Alexander conceived the idea, one 
evening, of dressing himself in the clothes and the 
coiffure of her Imperial Highness. 

On the birthday of the Emperor of Austria, Alex- 
ander and the King of Prussia proposed to surprise 
him on rising in the morning, and to present him, the 
one a superb dressing-gown of sable, the other a 

i9S 



Historical Memoirs of the 

silver basin and jug of beautiful Berlin workmanship. 
One often met the Emperor Alexander and the King 
of Prussia walking together in the streets of Vienna 
in citizen's dress. 

The reunion of the men most illustrious and most 
distinguished by rank, talent, and genius whom 
Europe possessed, was celebrated by brilliant and 
ingenious festivities, allegorical tableaux in which the 
most beautiful women of the court took part, operas, 
amateur plays, balls, and tournaments. " In fine," 
said the Prince of Ligne, 1 " nothing was wanting but 
the funeral procession of a certain marshal of the 
empire." 

The Poles awaited with patience the result of the 
conferences of the Congress and the fulfilment of 
Alexander's promises. In spite of numberless obsta- 
cles and hindrances raised by the council of Vienna 
against the just and liberal views of Alexander, he 
was declared King of Poland. He announced the 
news himself in a letter written by his own hand to 
Count Ostrowski, 2 the president of the senate. 

" It is with great satisfaction that I announce to you," he 
said, " that the fate of your country is at last decided by the 

1 Prince Charles Joseph Ligne (born 1735, died 1814), an able 
Austrian general and witty writer. He served with distinction in 
the Seven Years' War and was made a major-general in 1765. In 
1782 he was Ambassador to Russia, and was highly favored by 
Catherine II. He obtained the rank of field-marshal in 1808. His 
generous and chivalrous character rendered him the idol of his army. 
He was the author of a number of works. Speaking of him, Mme. 
de Stae'l said, " He was the only foreigner that became a model in 
the French style, instead of an imitator." 

2 Count Jean Antoine Ostrowski (born 1782, died 1845) was a 
Polish patriot and statesman, who took an active part in the affairs 
of Poland until its partition. He then removed to Paris,, where the 
last years of his life were passed. 

196 



Emperor Alexander I. 

unanimous voice of all the Powers united in this congress. 
In accepting the title of king, I shall endeavor to satisfy the 
wishes of the nation. The kingdom of Poland will be 
united to the empire by the bonds of its own constitution, 
upon which I shall endeavor to found the welfare of the 
nation. If the great interest of universal peace has not 
permitted the whole of Poland to remain united under the 
same sceptre, I will at least try to soften as much as possi- 
ble the rigor of their separation and to obtain for them 
everywhere the peaceable enjoyment of their national 
liberty. Before the necessary formalities permit the pub- 
lishing of the details relating to the arrangement of the 
affairs of Poland, I have wished that you should be the 
first informed of them by me in substance, and I authorize 
you to inform your compatriots of the contents of this 
letter. 

" Receive the assurance of my sincere esteem, 

" Alexander. 
"Vienna, April 30, 1815." 

Nothing can give an idea of the joy with which 
this news filled the hearts of the true Poles; but 
in the midst of this universal rejoicing, while they 
were awaiting the arrival of their desired monarch, 
events occurred which changed the face of the whole 
of Europe. General Pozzo di Borgo, 1 minister of 
Russia in France, arrived at Vienna from Paris, an- 

1 Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo (born 1764, died 1842), an eminent 
French diplomatist who in 1803 entered the service of Russia and 
devoted himself to diplomacy, for which he was qualified by his 
penetration and address. He regarded Napoleon as a personal 
enemy, and contributed to his overthrow. In 1813 he took a promi- 
nent part in the Congress of Frankfort, and composed the famous 
declaration of the Allies. He acted as Russian Commissioner with 
the army of the Allies in 181 5, and signed the Treaty of Paris. From 
1815 to 1835 ne was Russian ambassador at Paris. 

197 



Historical Memoirs of the 

nouncing to the congress that the Bourbons were 
more firmly seated than 'ever upon the throne of 
France ; and a fortnight later, in the midst of a great 
festival where all the divinities of Olympus and 
Parnassus were represented, the news arrived, like 
a clap of thunder : " Napoleon has escaped from the 
island of Elba; Napoleon is in France! " The per- 
son from whom I have these details, and who was 
an eye-witness of them, Count Salmour, said there was 
great alarm among the gods of the Empyrean and 
among those of the earth. Alexander was so wise 
as to retire immediately from the festival to hide his 
feelings from the public. 

The next day, when they had recovered a little 
from the violent shock which an event of this kind 
naturally produced, reflection came to calm this 
sudden surprise and terror. " He is a madman ! he 
is an adventurer ! " they said of Napoleon. Out- 
raged by the sharp reproaches which were addressed 
to him from all sides, on account of his ignorance of 
affairs in France, which it had been difficult to fore- 
see, Pozzo di Borgo out-did every one in protesta- 
tions, and said that Napoleon would be hanged on 
the first tree as soon as he entered France. 

However, this madman, this adventurer, or rather 
this incomprehensible being who had escaped from 
the island of Elba upon a small brig, and had passed 
miraculously through the midst of the English ves- 
sels, landed in France with a handful of soldiers, and 
twenty days later entered Paris at the head of an 
army, declaring in his vauntful language that he 
alone was able to re-establish peace, and that he had 
come to restore it to Europe. 

198 



Emperor Alexander I. 

The Bourbons were dispersed ; Louis XVIII. was 
forced for a second time to quit the country and to 
abandon the throne of his fathers to the usurper. 
Louis XVIII. retired to Ghent; but what was to 
become of France, and of Europe? 

The well attested news of the presence of Napoleon 
in Paris and the re-establishment of his power with- 
out a blow having been struck, filled the councils of 
the congress with terror and consternation. After 
so many generous efforts, such immense sacrifices, 
so much bloodshed, it was necessary to commence 
again, to renew the past efforts and sacrifices as if 
they had ne /er been made. This idea was enough 
to fill the h< arts of the sovereign allies with discour- 
agement an I dismay. 

The Emperor Alexander declared that he was 
weary of war, and, above all, tired of exposing the 
lives of his soldiers. Other personal and just mo- 
tives were joined to that repugnance. Prince Talley- 
rand had been sent by Louis XVIII. to bespeak the 
interest of the congress in behalf of France. It is 
difficult to discover what were the intentions of that 
able diplomat, working in apparent concord with all 
the Powers for the pacification of Europe, and, at the 
same time negotiating a treaty with Austria opposed 
to the political interests of Russia, — a treaty which 
tended to destroy that influence to which France 
owed her deliverance. 

While Talleyrand, full of confidence in his influ- 
ence in Paris, sought to prolong his engagement, 
he heard of the descent of Napoleon upon Paris and 
his entrance into the capital, and was informed that 
Alexander would no longer ignore the double-dealing 

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of the French royalist ministry. How should he 
ward off this last blow ? It was fatal ! Talleyrand 
was too wise, his knowledge of politics was too ex- 
tended for him not to feel that the Emperor Alex- 
ander alone could save France, by the immense forces 
at his command and by his influence over the other 
allied Powers. 

Talleyrand, therefore, knowing Alexander's gener- 
osity, built upon it his last political hopes, and the 
hope of his own safety. He went and throwing himself 
at the feet of that prince, assured him that, blinded 
by patriotism, he had not been able to see the real 
interests of France and the bands of alliance which 
she ought to contract ; then he begged the emperor 
to pardon him and not to abandon a cause which was 
that of all kings. 

After a few moments of silence and reflection the 
emperor replied : " The question has nothing to do 
with me or with any personal offence which might 
affect me, but with the safety of France." 

It must be acknowledged that without the extreme 
and indefatigable zeal which Talleyrand employed at 
this critical time, the congress would have been dis- 
solved without having decided anything in favor of 
France. 

With his usual magnanimity Alexander, putting 
aside all personal resentment, and thinking only of 
the interests of the common cause, ordered a con- 
siderable body of troops to march under the com- 
mand of Marshal Barclay de Tolley, not against the 
French, but to the succor of the Bourbons against 
the army of Napoleon. 

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Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XX 

I WILL not enter into the details of the campaign 
of 1815, marked by such great military deeds 
and terminated by the battle of Waterloo. The 
Emperor of Russia did not go to Paris until after 
the return of Louis XVIII. to the capital. Ever 
^animated by generous thoughts and a peaceable 
spirit, Alexander showed himself in Paris under 
the conciliating character of a mediator ready to 
ward off the blows which the policy of the other 
powers was disposed to deal to France. 

As the ministers plenipotentiary were preparing a 
new treaty of peace whose conditions seemed hard 
for France, Alexander went to the camp Les Vertus 
to inspect the troops in presence of the sovereign 
allies and gave the order of the day : — 

"Treason and the perfidious designs of the enemy of 
public peace have met you again, brave soldiers, upon 
the same fields where you were conquerors. Thanks to 
the Almighty your valor need not display itself again. The 
measures employed by the allies have overthrown the 
audacious Napoleon before you were able to take part in 
the fray. He has been taken prisoner. But your march 
from the Dwina and Dniester to the Seine will sufficiently 
prove that Russia is not opposed to the peace of Europe, 
and that in spite of the great distance you are always ready 
to march in the cause of justice wherever the voice of your 
country and that of your sovereign shall call you. 

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" In leaving you here far from your native land which is 
so dear to you, it gives me pleasure, my dear companions in 
arms, to show you my appreciation of the zeal and exact- 
ness which I have found in your ranks. May the blessings 
of the Most High accompany you to your firesides. His 
all-powerful hand has protected you in war and will guide 
you to your homes. Let us thank him for his goodness to 
us and never forget his sacred laws and that his mercy has 
assisted us because we have put our trust in him." 

The inhabitants of Champagne assembled in crowds 
in the environs of Les Vertus to see the prince whom 
they regarded as their protector. Learning that 
some French ladies were assembled at a farm-house 
to see the review, the Emperor Alexander sent them 
all sorts of refreshments. After the review was over, 
the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia 
approached Alexander to compliment him upon the 
fine military appearance of a corps of forty thousand 
Russians who had manoeuvred in their presence with 
excellent precision and perfect order. The emperor, 
still animated by the exercise which he had just had, 
placed his hand on his sword and answered : " I can, 
if it is necessary and if I am forced to do so, assemble 
here in two months two hundred thousand such 
troops." This he said, wishing to have it understood 
that he was disposed to take up arms for France. 
Since it was to be desired that France should regain 
calmness and tranquillity in place of hei continued 
internal dissensions, the policy of Europe demanded, 
in the interest of the balance of power, that France 
should remain great and strong. 

Thanks to the active intervention of Alexander, 
France was permitted to preserve her old boundaries ; 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

but to satisfy the severe justice of the allied Powers, 
she saw herself condemned to pay a large indemnity, 
and to the support of one hundred and fifty thousand 
foreign troops. Nations by their mistakes draw 
upon themselves terrible responsibilities, of which 
time alone can efface the traces. 

It was against the advice of Alexander that the 
works of art acquired through the valor of the French 
at different times were taken away from Paris. A 
very wise idea and one very favorable to the study 
of art led Alexander to propose that these master- 
pieces, instead of being dispersed to different 
countries, should continue to ornament the beautiful 
palace where they were united, giving to the museum 
of the Louvre the name of Museum of Europe. The 
Apollo of the Belvedere and the Venus de Medicis 
would certainly have received more homage at Paris 
than elsewhere. This proposition, however, did not 
meet the views of the other Powers. 

The Emperor Alexander felt himself compelled to 
declare his opposition to prevent the destruction of 
the bridges of Austerlitz and Jena. His views were 
too broad, his mind too great for him not to see that 
it was not alone to a monument of stone that the 
memory of French glory was attached. But it was 
not given to all the world to think and feel as he did. 

During his sojourn in France Alexander was con- 
stantly occupied in alleviating the misfortunes of the 
inhabitants. He had a list made of the widows and 
orphans of agriculturists whose homes had been 
destroyed during the war, and all those who wished 
to emigrate to the Crimea received from imperial 
munificence the necessary succor and passports. 

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Alexander displayed such perfect confidence in 
the French that he refused the escort which they 
offered him, saying it was unnecessary in France, 
and that he was in a friendly country. Some one in 
Paris wishing to know where the Emperor of Russia 
resided, he answered: "Upon the field of Virtue 
4- {plaine des Verlus), at the hotel of Magnanimity." 
This is not much in the style of Mademoiselle 
Scuderi's novels. 

In the short space of one hundred days, events 
followed each other with the rapidity of thought. 
We saw Napoleon land in France and reascend the 
throne; Louis XVIII. retire to Ghent; the combined 
armies march, attack, and conquer Napoleon; the 
latter flee and confide his destinies to the waves, less 
perfidious than the English, to whom this second 
Themistocles, this new Hannibal surrendered ; finally, 
Louis XVIII. reassume the crown and enter his 
capital. 

The destroyer of the peace of Europe, this new 
Prometheus who had not stolen celestial fire, but 
who would possess the universe, Napoleon had been 
banished to a rock in the midst of the ocean, where 
he was to endure the torment of a devouring ambition 
which he was not permitted to gratify. 

The history of Alexander and Napoleon affords a 
striking example of divine justice. How had Alex- 
ander been able to triumph over that man whose 
superior genius seemed invincible? Because God 
was on his side, because he never gloried in his 
success; while Napoleon, who placed all his confi- 
dence in the strength of his arms, had twice seen his 
formidable armies dissolve away, and his power vanish 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

like a dream. Unhappy the man who rests upon an 
arm of flesh ! 

I made this prayer at that time, for the Emperor 
of Russia: "May the good Providence always pro- 
tect Alexander. May God help him in battle by His 
strength, and in his councils by His wisdom ! Deign 
above all, O God, to preserve him from the intoxica- 
tion of success, so fatal to princes and so prejudicial 
to the happiness of their subjects ! Deign to lend 
him Thy light in all that he does in Thy name ! 
Bless all his undertakings and hold his heart always 
in Thy powerful hands ! Amen ! " 



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CHAPTER XXI 

SATISFIED with having terminated this memo- 
rable campaign of 1815 advantageously for the 
happiness of Europe, and to reap as a reward for his 
labors a long and settled peace, Alexander turned 
gladly from the horrors of war and the cares of State, 
and occupied himself in the affairs of his people. He 
was expected at Warsaw to be crowned King of 
Poland, and finally arrived there after having cele- 
brated at Berlin the wedding of his brother the 
Grand Duke Nicholas with the princess royal of 
Prussia, strengthening his alliance with that power 
by the double ties of blood and political bonds. 

The Emperor Alexander arrived at Warsaw on the 
26th of October, 1815. He made his entrance on 
horseback, wearing the Polish uniform and the deco- 
ration of the White Eagle. All the windows and 
streets on his Majesty's route were decorated with 
flowers, draperies, and mottoes. The various depu- 
tations met him under a triumphal arch which bore 
this inscription : Hie ames did pater atque princeps. 
The emperor would not accept the keys of the 
town, which were offered him by the president of 
the municipality, and responded thus to the speech 
of the magistrate : " I do not accept the keys, be- 
cause I am not come here as a conqueror, but as 
a protector and friend who desires to see you all 
happy. But I will accept bread and salt as the 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

most useful gift of God." The Poles had finally 
found a king, a father. On the evening of that 
memorable day the town was illuminated with alle- 
gorical transparencies, and an innumerable crowd 
circulated through the streets shouting the name 
of their king, Alexander. The emperor was touched 
by these proofs of attachment and enthusiasm, upon 
which he had not reckoned, believing with his usual 
modesty that the Poles preferred Napoleon. 

Alexander gave the Poles a constitution, founded 
partly on the Code of Napoleon, a senate, and the 
right to assemble diets. He named General Zaion- 
czek x to the first place in the kingdom, that of lieu- 
tenant-general, and apprised him himself of his 
nomination. The old general said to the emperor 
that his fortune was too limited to permit him to 
accept this position. " That is one merit the more 
in my eyes," answered the emperor, assigning to 
him a revenue of 200,000 florins, and conferring 
upon him later the title of prince. 

The emperor and king having admitted into his 
presence a deputation of the departments and towns 
of the kingdom, the palatine Malachowski expressed 
in the name of his compatriots the feelings of love, 
veneration, and gratitude with which they were 

1 Joseph Zaionczek (Zajaczek) (born 1752, died 1826), a Polish 
general, the descendant of a poor but noble family who by industry 
and study rose to positions of honor and influence. After the decla- 
ration of war against Russia by Napoleon he assisted in the raising 
of an army of 80,000 to aid him. After the Peace of Paris, when 
Alexander re-organized the army in Poland, he appointed Zaionczek 
general of infantry; and when in 181 5 the Czar gave Poland a new 
constitution, Zaionczek was named viceroy of the new kingdom, 
and the Grand Duke Constantine was given the command of the 
army. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

affected for the noble conqueror who had given to 
their country a new political existence. 

The emperor answered : " I receive the expression 
of the sentiments which you manifest for me with 
deep emotion. I know that this country has borne 
great reverses, the traces of which must be effaced. 
To help to do this promptly, I have given orders 
that the Russian armies retire from the country. 
In occupying yourselves with that interesting class, 
the cultivators of the soil, you have done that which 
is the most agreeable to me. All that you under- 
take in that direction will meet with my heartiest 
approval. I shall always be ready to consider all 
requests which are presented to me, whether by 
individuals or departments, and will give them my 
serious attention. My desires shall always be for 
the prosperity of your country and the good of its 
inhabitants." 

Count Oginiski (the same who has published 
Memoirs very favorably received by the public) 
came to Warsaw at the head of a Lithuanian depu- 
tation to offer their respects to the new King of 
Poland. The emperor received him in the throne 
room. M. Oginiski observed that during his conver- 
sation when he compared the rapid victories of the 
emperor with the lightning, the emperor's counte- 
nance took on an imposing expression, and that 
tears came into his eyes when he spoke of the 
gratitude of the Lithuanians. Yet there are persons 
who suspect this noble character of falseness; and 
Napoleon said, in speaking of Alexander, that he was 
the most beautiful, the most refined, and the falsest of 
the Greeks. It is not necessary to refute such calum- 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

nies. The entire life of Alexander is an answer to 
them. 

During the emperor's stay at Warsaw brilliant 
entertainments were given by General Krasinski, 
the Count Palatine Potocki, 1 and the Princess of Wiir- 
temberg. There was also a fancy-dress ball given 
by the town, where there was an assemblage of all 
that taste, riches, grace, and beauty could show. 

My mother, who on account of ill-health could not 
attend these festivities, had the honor to be presented 
to his Majesty at the house of her sister the Countess 
Radzivil, and to thank the emperor for all the kind- 
ness which he had shown her family. The emperor 
authorized my mother to announce his arrival at 
Vilna, and he deigned to speak of me with his usual 
indulgence. The emperor stopped only ope day at 
Vilna, sleeping at Towiany. 

My father formed the project of leaving as soon as 
the ball which was to take place on the arrival of his 



1 Count Stanislas-Kotska Potocki (born 1757, died 1821) organ- 
ized the grand duchy at the time of the French invasion, and was 
rewarded by being appointed Senator Palatine and Chief Counsel 
of the Minister of State. He was constant in his loyalty to Alex- 
ander; when the emperor elevated him to the dignity of Minister 
of Public Instruction and Worship, the appointment was received 
with universal applause, and Potocki was diligent in proving himself 
worthy of the honor. He created the University, the Observatory, 
the Botanical Garden, the Museum of Natural History, the different 
schools of surgery, and many smaller institutions. In all ways he 
showed himself the friend of learning and the protector of science. 
In 1818 he was named President of the Senate and his discourses are 
regarded as models of oratory. His death was considered a public 
calamity, and his family were the recipients of testimonials from all 
parts of the empire ; for by his singularly affectionate nature, culture, 
and elevated character he had attached to himself all who knew 
him. 

T 4 209 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Majesty was over, and going with me and several 
other persons to Towiany. He hoped to be able to 
speak with the emperor of different abuses which had 
crept into the government, and of the manner in 
which certain agents in power responded to the ideas 
of equity and moderation of so good a monarch. 
There were disquieting rumors at Vilna. 

It was said that there had been formed at St. 
Petersburg a party of Russians discontented with the 
interest which the emperor took in the Poles, and all 
he did for the kingdom of Poland. The emperor 
himself made no allusion to this matter, as he had 
asked the Poles at Warsaw not to compromise him 
with his own people in their patriotic speeches. I 
learned later at Paris, and I have it from a person 
worthy of confidence, that in 1815 Marshal Soult 
found papers which divulged horrible designs. The 
marshal hastened to make them known to the Em- 
peror Alexander, who thanked him, saying that the 
danger was not so real as he thought. What a fatal 
security, which it is difficult to understand ! How 
the Emperor Alexander, with that rare sagacity 
which distinguished him, that clearness of judgment 
which led him with reason to desire to extinguish the 
fires of revolution in other countries of Europe, 
could not see the embers that smouldered in his own 
States ! We must believe that his heart deceived his 
judgment, and refused to believe in such monstrous 
ingratitude on the part of his subjects. Several 
years ago M. de C. and I were terrified by sedi- 
tious rumors which came to our ears, and we told 
our fears to certain agents of the government, who 
treated them as exaggerated ideas — aristocratic 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

chimeras. Experience has proved that our fears 
were but too well founded. 

The Emperor Alexander arrived at Vilna at night, 
where they had made preparations in advance for a 
ball, illuminations, etc. My father had a transpar- 
ency placed over the door of his house representing 
Vilna with its picturesque environs, and these words : 
Le retour de I'Aurore nous promet des jours sereins. I 
was notified in the morning by an aide-de-camp of 
Prince Wolkonski, of the visit of his Majesty at one 
o'clock in the afternoon. There was in the mean 
time a presentation of the gentlemen at the palace. 
The emperor on perceiving my father said, " Ah, it 
is you, Count ! " and when my father would have 
said something to justify himself in the eyes of his 
Majesty, the emperor interrupted him, saying: "All 
is forgotten, the past is forgotten." My father, who 
had infinite tact, felt that the word forgotten meant 
rather pardoned; my sister and I felt it also in admir- 
ing this noble and refined character, who could pardon 
but not forget the wrongs that had been done him. 
My father admired and really loved the emperor ; he 
would never have been drawn into the other party 
except by the force of circumstances ; he did not 
dare to be at my house when Alexander came there, 
and it was my sister this time who aided me in re- 
ceiving the emperor, whom she had had the honor of 
knowing at the time of his Majesty's first visit to 
Vilna. 

After the first compliments, I asked his Majesty if 
he had been satisfied with his visit at Warsaw. The 
emperor answered that Warsaw had not quite met 
his expectations, on account of the irregularity of its 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

buildings and the filth of its streets ; but he thought 
that it was susceptible of embellishment. Then he 
said some pleasant things about Polish society and 
the Poles in general. He said : " I have not kept all 
my promises to them ; I have done nothing for the 
Poles, but in working for them I have had great ob- 
stacles to overcome in the congress. The other sov- 
ereigns were opposed as much as possible to my 
projects in regard to Poland. However, we have 
made the first step." 

I could not accustom myself to hear the em- 
peror speak of " the kingdom." " The kingdom," he 
said, " has suffered greatly. One does not notice it 
in the towns during these great festivities, but the 
country feels the war cruelly." Alexander praised 
the fine appearance of the Polish troops. " They will 
have a little trouble in forgetting the old regime and 
in learning the new, but that will come. There must 
be subordination among the soldiers, and exact dis- 
cipline ; for when the army reasons the State is lost. 
It is thus that Napoleon has been the cause of his 
own downfall, by permitting the absence of discipline 
among his troops. 

The emperor then spoke of France and the French, 
to whom he did not spare the epithets " mean," " avari- 
cious," " filthy," and "frivolous." " Paris," he said, " is 
dirty, morally as well as physically." I could not 
resist answering this attack. " Sire," I said, " I rec- 
ognize one merit in the French, — their knowing 
how to appreciate the goodness of your Majesty." 
At these words the emperor colored, then said 
with a smile : " I confess, mademoiselle, that I have 
but done my duty. It was frightful to see the 



Emperor Alexander I. 

evils about me, — the Austrians' and the Prussians' 
fury and cupidity, which it was difficult to control. 
They wanted to use the right of reprisal, but that 
right has always been revolting to me, for one ought 
never to take vengeance except by doing good for 
evil." 

With what sad pleasure I recall these words. Since 
then I have always kept a careful journal, and my 
readers can be assured not only of the exactness 
of my account of events, but that there is nothing 
altered in the emperor's expressions which are found 
in this work. How beautiful indeed were these 
words in the mouth of the greatest sovereign in the 
world ! It was plain to see that the emperor spoke 
with satisfaction, although always with modesty, of his 
successes, and of his work during the three years of 
his absence. He had grown much thinner in figure, 
which gave him a very young appearance. You 
saw no longer that charm of sensibility which the 
misfortunes of the year 1812 had given his face, but 
always the same grace, kindness, and affability. Still, 
one could see a little change of manner in his inter- 
course with men. 

I asked his Majesty if it was true that he pre- 
ferred London to Paris. " I acknowledge it," he 
said ; " one does not see in London the beautiful edi- 
fices which adorn Paris, but there is infinitely more 
order, regularity, and cleanliness." He insisted very 
strongly on the last point, making the inhabitants of 
Petersburg observe strict cleanliness. He said he 
feared they had grown lax on that point during his 
absence. 

The emperor spoke with admiration of the English 
2I 3 



Historical Memoirs of the 

parks, and told us that nowhere was the art of gar- 
dening so well understood as in England. As my 
sister seemed to take a lively interest in the details 
which the emperor gave on this subject, his Majesty 
asked her if she had fine gardens, and expressed 
great regret that, on account of the bad weather, he 
was not able to visit Arcadia when he had passed the 
night at the chateau of my Aunt Radzivil, not far 
from Warsaw. 

The frost had been very severe for several days, 
and our apartment was cold. The emperor, who 
noticed it, said he feared he should not be able to 
bear the climate of St. Petersburg after having passed 
three winters in France and England ; moreover, the 
beautiful Parisian ladies, in the midst of their elegance 
and luxury, nearly died of cold in their apartments. 
The emperor expressed his regret that he could not 
remain longer at Vilna. 

The ball commenced at eight o'clock. The em- 
peror waltzed for a long time with me and with other 
ladies. He danced with grace and dignity. In danc- 
ing the Polonaise with Prince Wolkonski, who then 
replaced Count Tolstoi about his Majesty, I told him 
of our plan to go to Towiany, — a project, I added, 
which it was not possible to carry out, as his Majesty 
was to leave in the morning to go there himself. The 
prince said : " Your project is charming ; you must not 
give it up. Leave immediately after the ball ; you 
will arrive in time, and I will retard the departure of 
his Majesty." The emperor, who followed us in the 
dance, would absolutely know what we were talking 
about, and we were obliged to explain, adding that 
we could no longer think of the project, although our 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

friends at Towiany, knowing our intention, had ordered 
a relay of horses on the route; but the lightning 
speed with which the emperor travelled would not 
permit us to reach there in time. Thanking me with 
the most amiable vivacity, the emperor maintained, 
with Prince Wolkonski, that by leaving at eleven 
o'clock in the night, putting myself in a good car- 
riage with a good pelisse to insure me against the 
cold, and having good horses, I could make the 
journey from Vilna to Towiany very easily. " More- 
over," said his Majesty, " I shall not leave so very 
early." I repeated this conversation to my father 
and sister, who decided that I must go to Towiany. 
But my father, after the somewhat cold reception he 
had had from the emperor, decided that it was best for 
him not to go. My sister, who was just recovering from 
an illness, could not expose herself to the great cold. 
My aunt, Countess Corvin Kossakowska, nee Potocka, 
decided to go with me, and my brother-in-law, Count 
Gunther, would accompany us. We changed our 
dresses and started at once. Before our departure, 
my father charged me particularly to speak a few 
words of justification for him and my brother to the 
emperor. Our carriage broke down on the way. 
Fortunately, we procured another in the neighbor- 
hood and continued our journey to Towiany, where 
we arrived at dawn, dying with laughter. After Vil- 
komir, which is about four miles from Towiany, 
they had taken us for the emperor, and had ren- 
dered us homage in consequence, the guard present- 
ing arms, the couriers rushing ahead to announce 
the arrival of the monarch ; and at Towiany the whole 
society of the town, assembled at the palace, pressed 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

forward to receive his Majesty. The emperor did 
not arrive till an hour later, and smiled upon perceiv- 
ing my aunt and me. He seemed annoyed at having 
arrived so late, and complained that they had made 
a summer road in winter. The fact is that, not know- 
ing that his Majesty travelled in a sleigh, they had 
swept the snow from the road all along the route and 
covered it with pine branches and leaves. We knew 
also that the emperor had been dissatisfied with the 
parade at Vilna. As it was not known till the morn- 
ing that he would give the order for it, the troops 
were not ready at the hour indicated. The emperor 
being obliged to wait on the spot, he severely repri- 
manded General P., and afterwards the garrison. 

After the usual compliments and presentations, the 
emperor went to change his dress in his old apart- 
ment. He soon returned and approaching my aunt 
and me thanked us gracefully for our " amiable 
attention," asking if we had had any accident on the 
way, and expressing his surprise that, having travelled 
all night in the open air, we looked so fresh and 
untired. "As forme," he said, "my face burns like fire." 

The conversation then became general, or rather 
the emperor alone took the burden of it in the most 
interesting manner. He spoke much of England, of 
the magnificence of its parks, of English agriculture, 
of the machinery newly invented, and above all of the 
wise institutions of the country and the welfare of its 
inhabitants. "What a happy country," said he, 
"where the rights of each individual are respected 
and inviolable ! " In speaking of Napoleon the 
emperor said : " I predicted to him what has hap- 
pened ; but he would not believe me." 

216 



Emperor Alexander I. 

The company was not the same as at the first visit 
of his Majesty to Towiany. The old Count Moriconi 
was dead. The Mesdemoiselles Grabowska and Mor- 
iconi were married and gone ; but the sister of the 
latter, the amiable Countess Felicie Plater was there 
with her excellent and worthy mother. The emperor 
spoke much of those who were absent by death, and 
of those who were separated by distance. 

His Majesty consented to sup with the whole com- 
pany. In leaving the table he came to speak to me 
of my mother, and described a pleasant little scene 
which took place between his Majesty and her. 
" Having made her acquaintance at your aunt's," said 
the prince, " I wished to kiss her hand, a natural 
homage which one offers to women ; but she refused 
it, and I had to insist ; every time I tried to take her 
hand she drew it away ; finally it grew too amusing ! 
Let your aunt tell you about it, and Prince Antoine, 
who was present. They laughed so much." 

At the moment of retiring the emperor said: "I 
must insist that the ladies will not give themselves 
the trouble to rise early in the morning, but I fear 
that they will not do me that favor." We answered 
that we would endeavor to make use of every 
moment that we were allowed to enjoy his presence. 
Although very much fatigued by the preceding 
night, my aunt and I must still describe to the ladies of 
the house the ball, and the toilets of the ladies at Vilna. 
Moreover, at six o'clock, though it was not yet light, 
we must be dressed and in the drawing-room. The 
emperor was not late, and asked how we had all 
passed the night. He asked me if I had any commis- 
sions for St. Petersburg. Instead of answering, I 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

asked orders of his Majesty for Vilna. The emperor 
turning to the circle of ladies (everybody was stand- 
ing). " Mademoiselle will not give me commissions 
for Petersburg, and asks me for them for Vilna." I 
do not know why these words hurt me. I had hoped 
that his Majesty would say something to me about 
my father. The remembrance of his former kindness 
to him compared with his present coldness, gave me 
the idea that my father would perhaps be displeased 
that I had not attempted to excuse him or my brothers 
to the emperor. 

But always surrounded, I had not an opportunity 
to speak ; moreover, what could I have said ? What 
use would it have been to recall the past? And 
finally, the fatigue of two nights without sleep had 
unstrung my nerves and agitated me to such a degree 
that I felt ill, and I went into the adjoining room to 
recover myself. The emperor, struck by the sudden 
change of my face, followed me to ask me if I was not 
well. I said that the heat of the stoves had overcome 
me, but it would soon pass, and I would return to the 
salon with Countess Moriconi. The emperor told 
the ladies what had made me ill, saying that the heat 
of our houses in winter was very bad for the health. 
He added that he had been obliged to open the 
windows of his bedroom. I saw the kindness of the 
emperor in all that he said, but I was at the same 
time so troubled at the idea of having made myself 
ridiculous in his eyes that I felt very much annoyed 
with myself. I could not control myself; I felt suffo- 
cated. Countess Plater, who was near me, drew me 
out of the salon. " In the name of God," said this 
good friend, "control yourself; think that twenty 

218 



Emperor Alexander I. 

persons have their eyes on you ! " Then she added 
some pleasantry, and I burst out laughing. Finally I 
succeeded in calming myself, but my eyes were red 
from weeping, and I was very much confused at 
having made such a scene. The emperor returned 
to us and anxiously asked me if I was subject to such 
attacks. I answered that I had often suffered from 
nervous troubles. " Oh, very often ! " repeated my 
good friend. His Majesty then said his " good-byes " 
and we followed him into the drawing-room where he 
begged me to remain sentinel over Countess Mori- 
coni to prevent her from going out. But no sooner 
had the emperor departed than the countess followed 
him to the steps. His Majesty, already seated in his 
sleigh, made me a sign of reproach, saying, " The 
sentinel has not done her duty." I answered, laugh- 
ing, that I had been obliged to give up my prisoner. 



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CHAPTER XXII 

A LITTLE time after his return to St. Peters- 
burg, the emperor made a stroke of authority 
which caused great excitement in the capital. He 
expelled the order of Jesuits from St. Petersburg, 
later from Pototsch, and finally from the whole em- 
pire, declaring that it was with justice that all the 
sovereigns had driven that dangerous and intriguing 
order from their States. Perhaps the Jesuits have 
justly been reproached with too much zeal for con- 
version, which was dangerous to the religion of the 
country. They attracted to their sermons numbers 
of persons of distinction, and a great many ladies of 
the court changed their religion without the knowl- 
edge of their families. 

The Jesuits abandoned without a murmur their for- 
tunes, their houses, and their flourishing establish- 
ments, considering the decree which had fallen upon 
them as sent from heaven, and bending, in appearance 
at least, under a Divine hand. A Jesuit of the house of 
Riga, whose establishment was venerated even by the 
Lutherans, replied to a person who commiserated 
him on his lot : " I shall find everywhere five feet of 
earth, and death, toward which I hasten." 

The emperor did several remarkable acts of justice 
at this same time. He degraded General Tutchlof 
to the rank of a common soldier because he had 
allowed pillage in Lithuania, in the campaign of 1812. 
He punished crime with a severity which inspired a 



Emperor Alexander I. 

just fear throughout the whole empire. The emperor 
proved, in a word, that it is possible to join to that 
kindness and excessive sensibility with which he has 
been reproached, both firmness and justice, qualities 
indispensable in a sovereign. There was a manifesto 
published in the name of the emperor about this time 
which seems to us full of piety and noble sentiments. 
In it Alexander speaks of godlike St. Louis, and of his 
success, and his triumphs as never sovereign before 
spoke, and with a moderation of which history shows 
few examples. I remarked, however, that having 
triumphed over Napoleon in this world he seemed to 
wish to pursue him to the other, and arraign him 
before the tribunal of God. 

In the year 1816 I made a journey to Carlsbad, 
with my father and one of my relatives. Upon our 
return we stopped at Warsaw, where the emperor was 
expected on the 30th of September. We lodged 
with my mother in the most beautiful street in War- 
saw, in a large house, but so full of people on ac- 
count of the arrival of the emperor, that I could only 
obtain two small rooms on the ground-floor under 
the porte cochkre. 

The emperor arrived at night and I knew it at 
once by the movement of the soldiers rushing 
through the streets. Nothing is more amusing than 
to watch the scenes of the outside world from behind 
a curtain, provided one has a taste for observation 
and a total lack of self-consciousness. 

The same day a grand parade took place in the 
square of Saxony. I saw the emperor pass through 
the street on horseback in the Polish uniform with 
the blue and white plume on his cap. This was the 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

first time I had seen him wear the Polish colors. 
The first ball took place at the viceroy's. My Aunt 
Radzivil took me there. She had already seen his 
Majesty, and among other things had told him of my 
arrival. The emperor deigned to speak to my aunt 
of me in terms which I will not write down here. 

My aunt conducted me to the middle of the ball- 
room to present me to his Majesty, who addressed 
me saying he hoped it was not on account of my 
health that I had visited the baths. 

While dancing with me Alexander spoke of the 
indisposition which I had had at Towiany, and asked 
me if I had had any returns of such attacks. The 
emperor having shown a desire to visit me, I took 
the liberty of saying to his Majesty that I was too 
badly lodged to have the honor of receiving him, 
but that I would try to get my mother to help me in 
that matter. The emperor called my attention to 
the Polish uniform which he wore, and I said I had 
had the pleasure already of seeing him in that dress. 
He asked where. "When your Majesty passed 
through the street to go to the parade." " But," he 
said, "I looked everywhere and I did not see you." 

The emperor left the ball at eleven o'clock. He 
kept early hours, rising very early in the morning, 
either to be present at the drilling of the soldiers 
or to work with his ministers. The next day he 
had a grand review of the Polish army, on the plain 
of Povonski, which was covered with an immense 
throng of people in carriages, on foot, and on horse- 
back, all come to witness this brilliant military 
spectacle. 

At the arrival of his Majesty the soldiers cried 



Emperor Alexander I. 

hourra, and the band struck up the favorite air of 
"God Save the King." His Imperial Highness the 
Grand Duke Constantine seemed enchanted to do the 
honors of so fine and well drilled an army before his 
august brother. At the end of the manceuvres the 
troops defiled in good order, — the officers making 
their war horses prance, and saluting with the point 
of the sword in presence of his Majesty, who stood 
cap in hand, as the army passed by. The following 
Sunday, after the parade, the emperor was present at 
a mass celebrated in the church of the Sacred Cross 
for the soldiers, and there I renewed my prayers for 
that excellent prince. 

Having returned home, I had hardly changed my 
dress when my maid suddenly cried, " There is the 
emperor ! " I looked out and, to be sure, there was his 
Majesty at the door of his carriage just driving into 
the porte coctere. A little annoyed at a visit which 
had not been previously announced, I hoped that he 
would go up to my mother and as I went out to assure 
myself of this, I saw the emperor spring from his 
carriage and come directly into the room which 
opened into mine, laughing a little at my confusion, 
asking pardon for his indiscretion, and saying that 
it was his servant who had shown him where I lodged. 
Finally, seeing that I hesitated, his Majesty gave me 
his hand, begging me to show him the way, and 
nolens volens I had to show him into the room where 
still reigned the disorder of my toilet. In my em- 
barrassment I did not know whether I ought to occupy 
myself with the emperor or arrange the room. Vic- 
toire, my maid, arrived with her deliberate air and 
saved me that trouble. Alexander liked to visit ladies 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

thus in the morning without being announced. He 
surprised one in a Chinese dressing-gown; another 
putting on her bonnet awry to hide her disordered 
hair. The wife of the viceroy got a cold from com- 
ing too suddenly out of her bath when it was 
announced that the emperor had come. All this 
trouble and confusion amused the emperor exceed- 
ingly; for at this epoch of his life he was very fond 
of fun. When we were seated he made a joke by 
offering a chair to my little dog, saying that it was 
quite right that she should be one of the company 
also. 

Then his Majesty spoke of the review, asked me 
if I was there, and what I thought of it. Then 
my mother, having been told that his Majesty was 
there, hastened downstairs. I announced her, and 
the emperor said, " Now you are going to see a repe- 
tition of the scene I told you about." And truly, the 
emperor going to my mother attempted to take her 
hand and remove her glove. But my mother respect- 
fully resisted. The emperor said, laughing : " But, 
madame, do you think I have the pest? What is 
there so extraordinary in kissing a lady's hand ? " 
Then he kissed mine to give the example. But my 
mother maintained that, in spite of the difference in 
their ages, she could not help considering the em- 
peror as a father. This little contest made us all 
laugh very much. 

The emperor asked me many questions about my 
journey. I mentioned a number of persons whom 
he had known at Vienna, among others, the Land- 
gravine of Furstenberg, a woman of great intelli- 
gence, educated in France. She was a sister of 

224 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Prince Schwarzenberg, whom Alexander called his 
brother in arms. I told his Majesty that the land- 
gravine never called him otherwise than Henri IV. 
The emperor made a little face and shrugged his 
shoulders ; I guessed why. They say that the Em- 
peror Alexander, during his stay at Vienna was very 
much pleased with the society of Princess Gabrielle 
D., a niece of Prince Schwarzenberg, a person even 
less remarkable perhaps for the charms of her face 
than for the estimable qualities of her character. 

" You go everywhere," said his Majesty. " You 
go everywhere, and will not come to St. Petersburg. 
I will prove mathematically that you have just made 
a longer journey than you would to go to St. Peters- 
burg, where you would be received with open arms." 
The emperor spoke to my mother of my conduct 
during the campaign of 1812, and said that he and 
his entertained a feeling of great respect for me. 
" His Majesty inquired about my sister and asked 
me what news there was from Vilna, assuring me 
that the last time he was there it was to see me, for 
his most direct road was by Kowno. " But let that 
remain entre nous, I beg of you, or I should be in 
bad repute with the Lithuanians." This idea amused 
us. Then he continued : " I have seen nothing in 
the foreign armies which surpasses them. It is possi- 
ble that there are as handsome soldiers, but none so 
imposing as the Polish troops ; and it must be true, 
for I am very difficult to please." I could not help 
taking up this word difficult, and said laughing that 
the difficulty was only feigned. 

" What," said his Majesty, " do you believe that I 
am not particular, and that I do not know how to get 
iS 225 



Historical Memoirs of the 

into a temper? " (A pretended ill-temper, thought 
I.) " However, I made a grand row at Vilna, about 
the garrison. Did they tell you about it? " 

" Oh, yes, sire, I know that that scene was played 
admirably, with incomparable gravity. I only re- 
gretted not having been a witness." 

The emperor turned to my mother and said, 
" You see how mademoiselle laughs at me." 

" Sire, that is because you have spoiled her," an- 
swered my mother. 

Then I added : " After having heard General P. 
reprimanded for form's sake, the public knew also 
that your Majesty took particular pains to assure the 
poor man that a mistake would not make his long 
and faithful service forgotten." The emperor smiled. 

I said we were expecting my aunt to dinner, and 
she would set up a loud scream when she found his 
Majesty there. This was a habit of Madame de 
Radzivil when anything astonished hen She did it 
with a particular grace, which has been celebrated by 
the Prince de Ligne in the portrait he has made of 
her under the name of Armidowska. 

" I hope she will not scream too loud," said the 
emperor, " or I will tell how she came to me by a 
private staircase. I was walking one evening on the 
terrace of the chateau, when suddenly I saw a woman 
at the windows in the apartments of the marshal of 
the palace, who was making signs to me. I had not 
the impudence to suppose that it was one of the 
pretty daughters of the marshal. Finally I ap- 
proached, and recognized your aunt. She came 
down on the terrace, and I had her go upstairs to my 
apartments." 

226 



Emperor Alexander I. 

As the emperor finished speaking, the door burst 
open, and my aunt entered upon the arm of her 
son, Prince Antoine Radzivil, followed by her niece, 
the charming Isabelle B., making the little scream 
which I had foretold. " How is it?" she said to the 
emperor, " before coming to see me ! You see what 
conduct." Then commenced some good-natured 
badinage between the emperor and her. 

" Why should I go to see you, since you come to 
see me?" said the emperor. 

" And in such a mean little room ! " said my aunt. 

" But I did not come to admire the rooms," said 
his Majesty. 

Prince Antoine offered to kiss the hand of the em- 
peror, who embraced him cordially. My cousin had 
just arrived from Berlin, and was the bearer of com- 
pliments for his Majesty from the King of Prussia. 
Everybody spoke at the same time in that little 
room ; one laughed, another screamed, and another 
embraced. All etiquette was put aside ; one would 
have thought it was a family reunion. Presently the 
emperor, who was very merry, commenced to do the 
honors by offering chairs to the ladies. We all sat 
down. The Grand Duke Nicholas and Princess Char- 
lotte of Prussia were spoken of. I said I had seen 
a bust of the princess at Posen which was lovely. 
" Yes," said the emperor, " and her character is like 
her face." My aunt asked about the young grand- 
dukes, whom she had known when they were children. 
The emperor said they were very handsome, a head 
taller than he and slender in proportion to their age. 
My aunt then recounted her interview with the em- 
peror on the terrace. " It would require a Tasso to 

227 



Historical Memoirs of the 

describe it," said she, in an amusingly exalted tone. 
" He was so handsome by the light of the moon ; he 
had the air of a Renaud, and I, was I not Armida ! " 
She said a hundred other nonsensical things, which 
Alexander took as compliments ; which in fact they 
were when addressed to that prince. Finally he in- 
terrupted her. " Please stop your poetry ; I have 
never read any of those things they have written 
about me. I like your prose better. Let us talk of 
the review. How do you like my soldiers?" My 
aunt complimented them. " Well," said the emperor, 
maliciously, touching my hand to call my attention 
to the expression of my aunt's face, " you ought not 
to regret for them your Garenne (a charming country- 
house about a league from Warsaw). 

My aunt immediately exclaimed that she was not 
the least displeased that this house which she had 
just bought had been taken for military quarters. 
After a few pleasantries of this kind the emperor asked 
her : " Are you never coming to St. Petersburg 
again? You must come and bring your niece, and I 
will give you some little stones, as I did before." 
These " little stones " were an obelisk of rose-colored 
granite, on a base of porphyry, which is placed in 
Arcadia. " Oh," said my aunt, " I would not ask any- 
thing better than to go there with her, but they will 
not let me go; you must send me an oukase." 
" Very well," said the emperor, " I will send a little 
mandate; only come." 

His Majesty then rose, saying: "There is never 
company so good that it must not separate. I must 
go home. My children wait dinner for me." These 
children were the generals and colonels of the Polish 

228 



Emperor Alexander I. 

army, who had the honor of dining with the emperor 
that day. My aunt followed him, saying she had a 
thousand things to say to him ; and among others 
she spoke to him of one of her proteges, for whom 
she solicited the key of chamberlain. " For," she 
said, in that tone which she knew so well to make 
comic without derogating from the nobility of her 
manners, " as long as he has n't that wonderful key, 
he is like the /ox without a tail." 

We conducted the emperor to his carriage, and my 
aunt, watching him mount, said : " Is n't he hand- 
some, is n't he adorable, is n't he unique ! " Two 
days later, as my aunt was dining again with my 
mother, she received a note from M. de Novosiltzoff, 
the minister of his Majesty at Warsaw, which said to 
my aunt that " the angel of angels " having deigned 
to consent to dine with him the next day, he begged 
her to bring her niece also, as the emperor wished to 
have the pleasure of seeing her. The tone of this 
note, so flattering as far as it concerned me, pleased 
as much as it surprised me : for I hardly knew M. de 
Novosiltzoff at that time. We immediately guessed 
the source from which this graceful attention came, 
which was another proof of goodness and kindness 
that I had never deserved, and for which I was grate- 
ful, as I ought to have been. 

My aunt came to take me to this dinner. M. de 
Novosiltzoff received us with the politeness for which 
he was distinguished, thanking my aunt for having 
brought me. She answered for me, for I was too 
embarrassed to make words and compliments. The 
entire household of the emperor, the ministers, and a 
few persons of distinction were already assembled. 

229 



Historical Memoirs of the 

There were no other ladies except the wife of the 
viceroy, the wife of the secretary of state, and Madame 
Sobolewoska, a very distinguee woman in every re- 
spect, and also the niece of M. de Novosiltzoff, a very 
charming person. I immediately made the acquain- 
tance of these two ladies and made common cause 
with them, for all three of us, I especially, had never 
been to a grand dinner of ceremony. Madame N. 
said I was afraid without reason ; " for," she said, 
" when my uncle asked permission to invite ladies, 
you were one of the first whom his Majesty named." 

When the emperor was announced, M. de Novo- 
siltzoff and his niece went out to receive him. Then 
the emperor approached the ladies. He made his 
excuses to Madame Sobolewoska for having disturbed 
her by coming to see her in the morning (she was 
dressing). Alexander spoke of her son, who, very 
young, had just entered service, and who the emperor 
said was very handsome. " He resembles his mother, 
then," said I. " Oh, no, not at all," said that lady, 
with vivacity. The emperor laughed ; then he asked 
me if I had been to the review, and I said Morpheus 
had prevented my going. He wanted to know also if I 
knew the environs of Warsaw. I replied that the bad 
weather had prevented me from exploring them, but 
in general I preferred those of Vilna. The emperor, 
guessing my thought, smiled and said he shared my 
opinion in that regard. 

The dinner was very grand. At table the Grand 
Duke Constantine saluted me, but unfortunately I did 
not see it. His Imperial Highness said to my aunt, 
who was placed next to him, "Your niece is very 
sparing of her bows ! " My aunt repeated to me 

230 



Emperor Alexander I. 

word for word what the prince had just said. Then I 
made haste, laughing, to make two or three deep 
reverences. 

After leaving the table, the company was grouped 
without order in the salon. The emperor commenced 
talking with my aunt near the fireplace. I heard him 
call me and I approached. He said to me : " Ask 
your aunt to take you to see her houses. You will 
be pleased with them. You will see what good order 
reigns there." I thought he was speaking again of 
Garenne, but it was of two houses at Warsaw which they 
had taken for military quarters. The emperor said 
laughingly that my aunt had made a gratuitous gift 
of them to the country, and as a recompense for it he 
and his brother would give the princess a cap and 
riding-habit of military cloth. My aunt did not relish 
this joke very much, but she pretended to laugh be- 
cause she had a request to make of his Majesty. She 
commenced by saying to M. de Novosiltzoff in Rus- 
sian, " Tell him to do all that Madame de Radzivil 
wants ! " The emperor said to me, " See how she 
speaks Russian ! " " It is impossible," I said, " to 
ask more in fewer words." The emperor repeated 
what I had said to M. de Novosiltzoff, adding that it 
was quite true. " Certainly," said the latter, " for if 
your Majesty ordered it I would have to do all that 
it may please the princess to ask." The emperor then 
wanted to know what the request was. It concerned 
a certain extension of land which my aunt wished to 
get from the crown to enlarge her Arcadia. " It is 
not my fault," said she, " that I have never been able to 
end this business. I have bargained with three bish- 
ops and with Davoust, who owned this domain, but 

231 



Historical Memoirs of the 

they have all haggled over the price. But you, sire, 
I hope you will not haggle." 

This expression addressed to a sovereign was so 
perfectly ridiculous that it had its effect. The em- 
peror assured her that he would do his best not to do 
that. " But," said he, " of what extent is this land? " 
" Four versts square." "What ! " exclaimed his Maj- 
esty. " The half of it would be sufficient for the whole 
Polish army to manoeuvre on ! And what will you 
give me for it?" " Sire, you shall have two hundred 
and fifty florins rent annually." The affected avidity 
of my aunt on the one side, and the pretended avar- 
ice of the emperor, who seemed to be afraid of being 
cheated, on the other, were very amusing. The par- 
ties separated without having concluded anything. 



532 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

OF all the beautiful entertainments which took 
place during the stay of the Emperor Alexan- 
der at Warsaw, the most delightful and the best 
arranged, I think, was that given by the senator 
palatine, Count Stanilaus Potocki. As I was dancing 
the Polonaise with the emperor he made many jokes 
about an Englishman who was staying at Warsaw on his 
way north; his Majesty said I had done wonders in mak- 
ing him waltz in time, a thing that had never before 
happened to an Englishman since the world began. 
I asked his Majesty if he had been satisfied with 
the manoeuvres ; he said yes, and asked me if they had 
interested me. I said assuredly ; as a good Pole I 
had much pleasure in being there, but as a good 
Lithuanian I had suffered a feeling of pain, even of 
envy. He understood my idea in a moment, for he 
was gifted with remarkable perspicacity in grasping 
the most obscure sense of a phrase ; vulgarly speak- 
ing, he understood half a word. Pressing my hand 
kindly he said : " Be reassured, the thing is already 
arranged ; " and then fearing that he would be heard 
by those who preceded or followed us in the dance, 
Alexander spoke in my ear assuring me that we were 
to have a similar corps of troops in Lithuania, a 
regiment at Vilna and a regiment at Minsk ; in fact, 
the same internal organization as in Warsaw. I as- 
sured the emperor that he would find there the same 
zeal, also, and that the Lithuanians would not fall 

233 



Historical Memoirs of the 

short of the Poles in anything. " You will already 
find changes in the government of Lithuania," said 
his Majesty. " Many of the places are already oc- 
cupied by people of the country." 

My heart was so full of what the emperor had told 
me that I could not find words to thank him ; yet I 
told him that the idea which he perhaps entertained 
that his Majesty was less appreciated in Lithuania 
than at Warsaw pained me. He hastened to reassure 
me on that subject. A few moments later, when he 
came to take me for a waltz, I said, laughing, that 
his Majesty apparently wished to assure himself if it 
was really I who had made Mr. Wentworth waltz in 
time. The emperor answered in the same tone, that 
he flattered himself that he could waltz as well as he, 
and after a few turns he asked me what I thought. I 
answered that if Mr. Wentworth knew it, he would 
probably feel himself very much honored by such 
emulation. I asked the emperor, in the intervals of' 
the waltz, if he intended to return by way of Vilna. 
" No," said he, " that detour would take two days, and 
I am obliged to return to St. Petersburg for my 
mother's birthday ; moreover, I have seen at Warsaw 
all that I could wish to see at Vilna." 

The emperor and I then amused ourselves passing 
in review all the beautiful women at the ball, and 
there were many beauties at Warsaw. We remarked 
especially Madame Zamoyska, wife of the president 
of the senate, who was no longer in her first youth, 
but who had so well preserved its charms that every- 
one who saw her for the first time took her for a 
young girl. She had the most beautiful eyes in the 
world, and a fairy figure. 

234 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Among the beautiful women, the charming Princess 
Maximilian Sablonowska, nie Lubominska, was to be 
reckoned, as fresh as a rose ; Princess Dominique 
Radzivil also, who has since married General Czerni- 
scheff; and the three daughters of the marshal of the 
palace, who were called the three Graces. The 
eldest of these, who is now Princess Lowiez, danced 
with such perfection that when Duport came to War- 
saw and she wished to take lessons of him, he said he 
was able to teach her nothing more. 

The day before his departure, Alexander did me 
the honor of coming to say good-bye. With his 
usual elegant and chivalric politeness he had asked 
my " permission " without exactly indicating the day. 
But I was ready at the moment of his Majesty's 
arrival, as it was the hour when we dined. On enter- 
ing, the emperor said he had come to thank me for 
my "kindness" and to beg me always to consider 
him as an old friend. Those who have not had the 
happiness of knowing Alexander will perhaps wonder 
at such language ; but in this prince it was the simple 
expression of politeness and kindness. 

His Majesty then said : " We are going to stay 
here, are we not, and we can go afterwards to 
Mamma f " When we were seated, the emperor 
asked me if I had been to the parade. I said I had 
not. He said it was a pity I had not tried to see it; 
that it was very fine, and that the Austrian general, 
Count Walmoden, who had been sent to Warsaw by 
the Emperor Francis, could not admire enough the 
fine troops which had been organized in so short a 
time. "And," continued his Majesty, "though I 
should not wish to break the good understanding 

2 35 



Historical Memoirs of the 

which exists between us, if necessity required it, I 
think they would fight well." 

The emperor asked me one question for which I 
was not prepared, and which embarrassed me very 
much, though I knew that it was inspired by the kind 
interest which he had shown for me ever since I had 
had the honor to become acquainted with him. He 
asked me if there were no projects of marriage for 
me. " I have spoken of this to your aunt," continued 
his Majesty, " but she tells me you have refused all 
the offers that have been made you. You are per- 
fectly right in being particular; but is there no one 
who will be so fortunate as to suit you? I wish I 
could see you happily settled in life as you deserve 
to be." I did as one usually does in such circum- 
stances; I made the stupidest answer in the world. 
The emperor did not reply, but renewed his invitation 
for me to come to St. Petersburg. " In case your 
aunt should not go, could you not induce your sister 
to make the journey?" I objected that my sister 
had a numerous family. " Well," said his Majesty, 
" do you suppose there is a curse on children at St. 
Petersburg?" I laughed, and explained to him the 
real ground of my answer, seizing this opportunity to 
recommend my brother-in-law, Count Gunther of 
Hildesheim to his Majesty. I said everything good 
about him that it was possible to say, as can well be 
believed, and solicited for him the place of vice-gov- 
ernor either of Minsk or of Vilna. Unfortunately 
these places were just filled ; his Majesty regretted it 
exceedingly. He offered me as an equivalent that of 
Grodno, but this position would not have suited my 
brother-in-law. 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

Nothing could equal the attention with which 
Alexander listened to all the demands that were 
made upon him. He put even in his refusals such a 
kind graciousness and so much interest that it seemed 
that it was he whom the refusal hurt instead of the 
person who was refused. 

In speaking of the pleasure of serving his Majesty, 
I told him I had often felt a regret that I was such a 
useless creature. If I had been a man I could have 
consecrated my whole life to his service, and could 
have employed whatever talent I possessed in being 
useful to him. " Ah ! you are wrong to call yourself 
useless," said the prince ; " virtuous conduct assures a 
noble career to a woman. She can do so much good 
in the world by the influence of her example. A 
good woman exerts a charm so that one breathes a 
better moral atmosphere in her presence, while the 
woman who is only amiable is always repellent to 
me." 

His Majesty then added a few serious reflections 
upon the benefits derived from religion, its consola- 
tions, and the strength it gives in times of trouble and 
misfortune. Alexander had doubtless his weaknesses, 
like many other great men, but his heart was filled 
with the purest moral and religious sentiments. 

When the emperor rose to go I asked permission 
to call my mother, but his Majesty said he would go 
up to her and gave me his arm. My mother came 
to meet the emperor, who chatted with her a few 
minutes standing, and then made his adieux, renewing 
his assurances of friendship and remembrance. That 
good-bye was not for me, as I had the pleasure of 
seeing him again at a ball at Princess Czartoryska's. 

2 37 



Historical Memoirs of the 

As the emperor danced more than usual I took the 
liberty of saying that it was a good deal of fatigue to 
incur at the moment of departure. " Yes," said his 
Majesty, " especially as I rose at four o'clock this 
morning; but it can't be helped. I must try to keep 
up the life of the ball." 

The excellent health of the emperor, which seemed 
to promise a long life, helped him to bear easily these 
fatigues, and one of his aides-de-camp, Count Ojarow- 
ski, told us that after leaving the ball he had spent 
the rest of the night in writing, sending off couriers, 
reading and signing memoranda, and after all this 
hard work at the moment of his departure, he con- 
versed with the members of his suite with the same 
freshness of ideas and the same vivacity which he 
ordinarily showed. It is true that he was hardly in 
his carriage before he went to sleep, and he did not 
waken till he was forty miles from Warsaw. 



238 



Emperor Alexander I. 

CHAPTER XXIV 

THE year following, when my marriage was agreed 
upon, according to the custom at the court of 
Russia I wrote to the grand mistress, Comtesse de 
Litta, 1 to obtain permission from their Imperial Maj- 
esties to marry. M. de Choiseul made the same 
request at Moscow, where the court passed the winter 
of 1818. He was presented to the emperor, who 
spoke with him about his approaching marriage, 
charged him with compliments for me, and gave him 
permission to return to France to fulfil his duties 
there as a peer of the realm. I did not think it 
necessary to write directly to the emperor on that 
occasion. But the same year, Alexander being at 
Warsaw, and having met my mother, he deigned to 
tell her that he had offered up prayers for my happi- 
ness and that I had his best wishes. His Majesty 
added that he feared, not having received any direct 
news from me, that I had been offended because he 
had sent me his compliments by a Jew (it was the 
same who had carried a letter from me to my father 
in 1812). He came to Vilna in my absence. He 
had received an order, if I gave him a letter to his 

1 Comtesse de Litta, nfa Engelhardt, was a niece of Prince Po- 
temkin. She once shone as a celebrated beauty at the court of 
Catherine II. She was first married to Count Scavrowsky, who 
was Russian ambassador at Naples. When a widow she became 
acquainted with Count Litta, a commander of the Order of Malta, 
who had first won fame as admiral of the Russian fleet, and subse- 
quently became Lord High Chamberlain of the court of Alexander. 

239 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Majesty, to bring it to him at Warsaw. A few 
months later, finding that I was at Vilna, this Jew 
came to tell me he was going to rejoin the emperor at 
Minsk, and asked me for a letter for his Majesty. I 
wrote in consequence that the Israelite, the bearer 
of the gracious remembrance of my sovereign, had 
seemed a very welcome messenger. I added that I 
was about to leave for France, and that the remem- 
brance of the kindness with which his Majesty had 
honored me would follow me to that country and 
continue there to add to my happiness. 

The Jew returned soon and brought me the gra- 
cious answer which I transcribe here. 

I am very happy, madame, to be authorized to offer 
you in writing my most sincere thanks for the charming 
letter which I have just received from you and which has 
given me great pleasure. My wishes for your happiness 
are only too natural at a time like that of your marriage. 
Allow me to repeat them again as well as for the journey 
you are about to undertake. May Providence guide your 
footsteps and protect you wherever you may go. Will you 
keep a place for me in your memory and accept the hom- 
age of respectful attachment which I owe you. 

Alexander. 

This letter, written by his own hand, and a very 
good hand it was, was for me in France like a talis- 
man against the intolerant prejudices and the mali- 
cious false reports. A short time after my arrival in 
that country, after the first illusion was dissipated, I 
began to recognize the truth of the picture which 
Alexander had drawn in strong lines, which at the 
time had seemed to me to be too highly colored. 

240 



Emperor Alexander I. 

I could not help comparing this cold egoism, this 
icy indifference which reigns in Parisian society, the 
artificial necessities born of frivolity, the insatiable 
desires of cupidity, the antagonism of political 
opinions, and the circumscribed etiquette of the 
court with that affectionate and friendly good- 
heartedness (to use an old-fashioned word) which 
is so natural to the Russians and Poles. Each day 
made the contrast more bitter to me. 

Although I greatly desired to leave France, yet I 
wished to leave it in a manner honorable to M. de 
C. They spoke of naming him for the embassy to 
Russia, and the choice of ambassador was subject to 
the approval of the Emperor Alexander. M. de C., 
having no one in the ministry of sufficient influence 
to place his name on the list, consented that I should 
write to the emperor and ask for that place, though 
it was less gratifying to our amour propre than to 
the feelings of our hearts to approach his august 
person in this way. When my letter reached its 
destination, M. de La Ferronays * had just been ap- 
pointed ambassador to Russia, a choice which could 
not be otherwise than universally approved. In 1820 
I made a journey to Lithuania, and M. de C. being 
engaged in defending himself against a very unjust 
lawsuit, I decided to go to Warsaw where his Majesty 

1 Pierre Louis Augusta Ferron, Count Ferronnays (born 1777, 
died 1842). While Louis XVIII. was living in exile, the count was 
interested in his cause, and in 1S15 Louis gave him a peerage. In 
1817 he was ambassador to the court of Denmark, whence he was 
promoted to St. Petersburg. There he became a favorite with 
Alexander and was intrusted with important diplomatic missions. 
He was recalled in 1S28 by Charles X., and at the special request of 
the Sacred College the count was appointed ambassador to Rome. 
16 241 



Historical Memoirs of the 

was at that time, and ask justice and protection from 
him. 

I saw the emperor at a ball at Marshal de La 
Diette's and as he was not aware of my arrival, on 
seeing me he showed the most amiable surprise, and 
proved his continued interest by coming to see me 
the day after, in the morning, calling my attention 
himself to this eagerness, which filled me with the 
deepest gratitude. I received his Majesty in my 
mother's drawing-room, and the emperor asked me 
if I was not occupying my old rooms on the ground- 
floor, fearing that he had disturbed my mother. 
Then he expressed his regret at not having been 
able to grant the request which I had made of him 
for M. de C. " Your letter," said the emperor, " was 
a long time in reaching me ; I did not receive it until 
after M. de La Ferronays had been nominated for 
the place. Besides, upon my first visit to Paris, I 
had already given my word to the king, who had 
asked me if M. de La Ferronays would suit me for 
ambassador to St. Petersburg, and when they sent 
me a list, it was impossible not to choose from among 
the names that it contained M. de La Ferronays, 
whom I had known formerly during his emigration, 
and who is a very good man." 

The emperor then asked me a number of questions 
concerning my sojourn in France, my new family 
relations, and so forth. He asked me if I was happy, 
and said some very pleasant things about M. de C. 
I answered his Majesty that the antagonism of polit- 
ical parties in France made trouble and bitterness, 
not only in society but in families. 

"What do the French want?" asked Alexander. 
242 



Emperor Alexander I. 

"They have everything to make a people happy; 
Heaven has given them a beautiful country, and a 
climate favorable to all kinds of products. They 
enjoy as much liberty as it is reasonably possible 
for them to have, and, alas, they are not content ! " 
When I spoke of the liberal party — " Oh, that is 
a name they give themselves, a kind of mantle with 
which to cover their audacious designs. There is 
nothing less liberal in the true acceptation of the 
word than this demagogue party in France. You 
belong," continued the emperor, " by your marriage 
and by your family connections to the most distin- 
guished Parisian society. Among them all there 
are those doubtless who think rightly, but there are 
also firebrands which — " (I guessed the idea of the 
emperor, but I kept silence.) " I urged and conjured 
them to act firmly in the beginning of the restoration 
of the monarchy; but they would not believe me, 
and they see to-day the sad results in the tragic death 
of the Due de Berri. This event is the more deplor- 
able as the character of the duke, which had changed 
to his advantage, began to give great hopes." Alex- 
ander attributed this terrible event and all the mis- 
fortunes of France in general to the influence of 
M. Decazes over Louis XVIII. He admired M. de 
Richelieu very much, and hoped he would remain 
in the ministry. The emperor spoke of Monsieur, the 
brother of the king, now his Majesty Charles X., 
with great esteem, saying that the character of this 
prince had been tried in the school of adversity. 
He praised also the courage of the Duchesse de 
Berri, and said he awaited with impatience the 
desired event which would tranquillize France and 

243 



Historical Memoirs of the 

all Europe. Alexander seemed disturbed, and gave 
me to understand that he was not satisfied with the 
last news from France. 

The emperor having asked me why M. de C. had 
not accompanied me to Warsaw, I explained the 
annoying affair which had prevented him from doing 
homage at the feet of his Majesty, and I took the 
opportunity to speak of the lawsuit. His Majesty 
asked me to give him a few notes relating to the 
case, assuring me that he would be my attorney with 
pleasure. When I attempted to express my gratitude 
for his kindness, he said that I owed him none at all, 
and that there was no merit in rendering me justice. 

I made a short memorandum of the case, but I 
did not know how to convey it to the emperor. I 
hoped to speak to him at the ball given at the vice- 
roy's, but I arrived so late, on account of the crowd 
of carriages which formed in line before the door, 
that the emperor was retiring as I entered the ball- 
room, and he did not see me. The next morn- 
ing just as I was relating my disappointment to my 
mother, a servant from the court was announced, who 
came from his Majesty to ask news of me and to 
inquire if I was ill, as the emperor had not seen 
me at the ball ! What a kind attention was this, 
dictated only by a sentiment of good-feeling. 

As I proposed to stay only a few days at Warsaw, 
his Majesty, learning that I was on the eve of my 
departure, deigned to come and receive my respect- 
ful adieux, saying that he had hoped that I would 
prolong my stay at Warsaw until the term fixed for 
his Majesty's own departure, twelve days later, when 
he was to go to the conference of Troppan in Silesia. 

244 



Emperor Alexander I. 

I answered that I had promised M. de C. to return 
at a fixed time, and that I always kept my word. I 
presented my memorandum to his Majesty, who 
commenced to read it at once, then suddenly stop- 
ping he said, " It is not very polite to read in pres- 
ence of ladies, I believe." I answered that on the 
part of a sovereign it was, on the contrary, a favor, 
as it was a proof that he really wished to understand 
the question presented to his judgment. 

After the emperor had read the notes he placed 
the paper under his uniform, saying that he liked my 
handwriting very much, and that I could be quite 
tranquil, he would be my advocate. " And never 
could a cause be placed in better hands!" I ex- 
claimed. "Where could one hope to find justice if 
not in the heart of our beloved sovereign?" 

My mother asked permission to read a passage 
from a letter from her sister Madame de Radzivil, 
who was in the country and who charged her with 
her adorations. The emperor received this homage 
with his usual modesty, saying that he was always 
sensible of the kindnesses offered him. His Majesty 
then spoke to us of the marriage of his august 
brother Duke Constantine, which took place that 
year. 

" I had to overcome many obstacles," he said, " to 
assure my brother's happiness, but finally he is happy 
in the right way. I did not like his other way of 
being happy," added the prince, with a smile. He 
praised the character of the princess and her an- 
gelic sweetness. 

His Majesty wished to know if M. de C, aside from 
his duties as a peer, had no other occupation, either 

245 



Historical Memoirs of the 

military or civil. I seized the opportunity to ask a 
new favor for M. de C. Obliged to live in France, 
and possessing nothing there; having estates in 
Russia laden with heavy charges and with a large 
number of relatives to maintain, he lacked the means 
necessary not only to keep up a state suitable to 
his rank, but to provide for the simple necessities 
of life. After having solicited without success some 
place in the government, he hoped to obtain one in 
Russia through influence brought to bear upon M. 
de Richelieu. In begging his Majesty to give me a 
favorable word to his ambassador at Paris, I said 
how happy I should be to feel myself under his 
protection even in France, and to owe to him per- 
haps all the prosperity which I might there enjoy. 

Alexander answered that he should be glad to 
contribute to it and that he was going to give me 
a letter longer than my memory. 

After the emperor had left us, my mother and I 
talked of the goodness of " that angel " and a feeling 
of tenderness mingled with sadness came over us 
which I now regard as a presentiment only too 
true. We thought that beings so good and so per- 
fect do not remain long on the earth, because heaven 
always hastens to reclaim those who belong there. 

The same day, seeing the emperor pass rapidly 
in an open caleche, my mother said : " Really it 
was very foolish for us to give ourselves trouble on 
that subject. He is young and enjoys such perfect 
health. God will preserve him ; " and we laughed 
at our fears. 

Yet one found no longer in Alexander that frank 
gaiety which he had had before. He seemed discon- 

246 




GRAND DUKE CON9TANTINB. 



i 



Emperor Alexander I. 

tented with the Polish government, with the business 
done by the diet, with the expenses, which exceeded 
the means of the State. He seemed to seek solitude. 
Often, without giving notice to any of his retinue, he 
went alone to walk in the environs of Warsaw and 
had his dinner brought there. Nevertheless he en- 
joyed good health; his prestige in Russia and in 
Europe remained^the same — always preponderant. 
Soon after I returned to Lithuania I received a 
despatch from the court containing a letter for the 
Russian ambassador at Paris, inclosing a copy for me. 
I had the satisfaction to learn at the same time that 
on account of an express recommendation from his 
Majesty the lawsuit had been arrested. 



247 



Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER XXV 

WHEN I returned to France a great event was 
agitating the public mind, which promised to 
cause important changes in Europe and perhaps 
bring back the times of the crusades and reawaken 
the spirit of chivalry. I speak of the Greeks and 
those heroic efforts which called forth not only the 
interest of the religious world, but the enthusiasm of 
all lovers of the beautiful, of the marvellous, and of 
all that awakens and exalts the imagination by the 
charm of the memories connected with that land 
once so illustrious. 

It was expected that the Emperor Alexander, as 
the head of the Greek Church in Russia, would de- 
clare himself the protector of his brethren in religion, 
and that he could not resist the desire to succor the 
Greeks, expel the Turks from Europe, and make 
himself master of the Grecian peninsula. 

I own that, without thinking of other considerations, 
in my heart I wished for him this new glory, added 
to all that he had already won. But the policy of 
the sovereigns of Europe took another view of the 
subject. In this desire and effort of the Greeks to 
throw off the shameful yoke which weighed upon 
them and to recover a just independence, a danger- 
ous revolutionary spirit was seen, the same which for 
forty years had been working to undermine the 
thrones of Europe, and to overthrow the powers 
established by law and by divine sanction. The 

248 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Greeks were abandoned, and the Emperor Alexander 
was obliged to renounce all those personal advan- 
tages, and the glory which such a noble enterprise 
promised, that the peace of Europe and that equi- 
librium, of which he himself held the balance, might 
be maintained. 

France had her own reasons for anxiety. Spain, 
her neighbor and ally, on the eve of a bloody and 
destructive revolution, attracted the attention of 
Europe and particularly the solicitude of the French 
government. 

In the spring of 1822 I made a journey to Vilna 
to make arrangements with my family about my 
fortune. The emperor came there to review an army 
corps of sixty thousand men. He arrived on the sec- 
ond of June, traversed the boulevard the entire length 
of Vilna, and struck by the want of enthusiasm in the 
inhabitants, he said afterwards to Princess Troubetz- 
koy that they would never see him again at Vilna. 

The next day, surrounded by his three august 
brothers, he was present at a brilliant review on the 
plains of Werki. 

Learning that I was at Vilna the emperor ex- 
pressed his pleasure, and sent to ask if he would dis- 
turb me by coming to see me. I shall never forget 
how my French servant (to whom I had given a 
lesson how to receive the emperor, when his Majesty 
inquired if I was at home) answered, " Oui, monsieur." 

Alexander immediately asked me a few questions 
about my child, asking me why I had not brought 
him with me. I answered that I was afraid of expos- 
ing him to the fatigue of such a long journey (he was 
only six months old) ; and that my greatest regret 

249 



Historical Memoirs of the 

in the midst of the joy I felt in seeing my sovereign 
again was in not being able to place my child at his 
feet. The emperor, seeing how I was moved in 
speaking to him, said in a tone of real feeling: 
" Ah ! I understand the pain you felt in leaving 
him." His Majesty deigned to remember M. de C. ; 
I said he was obliged to be present at the sittings of 
the Chamber of Peers and had not been able to 
accompany me ; and I added, " I really fear your 
Majesty is surprised to see me travel thus, always 
alone, yet my whole desire as well as my ambition is 
to preserve the esteem with which your Majesty has 
honored me." Alexander assured me that neither 
time nor absence nor distance could change the feel- 
ings of esteem which he entertained for me. 

His Majesty wished to know the obstacles which 
had prevented the baptism of my child from taking 
place at Paris. (He was to have been named for the 
emperor.) I related what had taken place at that 
time, and frankly avowed that it had been my own 
fault. After the birth of my son I had written to the 
Emperor Alexander to tell him that a subject had been 
bom to him in France, and to ask him, not out of 
vanity but for the future good of my child, to stand 
sponsor for him. The emperor, with his usual kind- 
ness, consented to grant me this favor, sent a hand- 
some present, and charged Count Schouvaloff, who 
was then in Paris, to represent him in the ceremony, 
as I had asked in my letter to his Majesty that the 
choice might fall upon a good and true Russian, and 
not upon the ambassador, whom I could not consider 
as such. It is just that which caused the opposition 
on the part of the French clergy, opposition which 

250 



Emperor Alexander I. 

would not have taken place if the person named by 
the emperor had been of the Roman Catholic Church. 
The emperor assured me that, since the misunder- 
standing arose out of religious zeal, he saw no reason 
to be offended at what had happened. 

The emperor asked me what business had brought 
me to Vilna, and if it was the lawsuit for which I had 
given him the memorandum at Warsaw. He re- 
membered that still after two years. In general the 
memory of this prince was prodigious ; however, it 
was in fault that day. "With what pleasure," said 
he, " do I see you again in this room where I used 
to see you ! Here is the same sofa where you used 
to sit near the same round table." He looked around 
for the piano — it was not there. I was embarrassed, 
for it was my father's apartment, which I was occupy- 
ing in his absence ; and it was not that one in which 
I had received his Majesty several times, for my 
father had changed his residence to another house. 
I did not reply. Thus the poor princes are often 
deceived in the smallest matters, even by those who 
are the most devoted to them. 

The emperor then touched on graver subjects. 
He spoke with interest of the position of France and 
approved the change of the ministry, which gave him 
occasion to speak of M. Decazes and M. de Talley- 
rand. He said that France owed much to M. de 
Richelieu, for it was he who obtained, at the Congress 
of Aix-la-Chapelle, the recall of the allied troops out 
of France. The emperor said that his talent and 
intelligence might have been greater, but that he was 
an honest man full of zeal for his country, which in 
like circumstances was rare. 

251 



Historical Memoirs of the 

The Emperor Alexander seemed to have an exag- 
gerated idea of the ability and oratorical talent of the 
demagogue party, as he styled the party on the left 
in the House of Deputies. I suggested that the royal- 
ists would not yield to them on that point. At 
each orator on the left that his Majesty named, I 
cited one on the right ; to General Foy 1 and Benjamin 
Constant I opposed Castelbajac 2 and Labourdonnaie 
and Dalot. I cannot say that I succeeded in con- 
vincing Alexander, for he seemed greatly struck by 
the influence which such talent as the opposition 
possessed could exert in France upon the mind of 
the nation. It was easy to see from the language of 
the emperor that he had received disturbing reports 
of what was happening in France. I ventured to say 
that these troubles, incited by discontented and rest- 
less minds, could not destroy the tranquillity of the 
mass of the French nation, which, after all the dis- 
turbances it had suffered, wished for nothing now so 
much as peace and repose. 

I had brought with me a work which had just ap- 
peared, upon the revolution in Piedmont. I spoke 



1 Maximilian Sebastian Foy (born 1775, died 1825). A French 
general and orator. He was one of those republicans who opposed 
the assumption of imperial power by Napoleon. In 18 19 he was 
elected to the Chamber of Deputies, where he immediately took his 
place in the front rank of orators. His past life, his noble character, 
and his persuasive manner gave him great influence, which he em- 
ployed in favor of liberal and constitutional government. 

2 Marie Barthelemy, Viscount de Castelbajac (born 1776, died 
1868), a French politician and orator. He served some time in the 
army under Conde. Upon the restoration of the Bourbons he was 
elected to the Chamber of Deputies, where he was a warm partisan 
of the interests of the aristocracy. He was elevated to the peerage 
in 1830. 

252 



Emperor Alexander I. 

of it to his Majesty, who had already read it and 
praised it much, and told me something which I did 
not know, that the foundation of this political ro- 
mance was a real adventure. 

The emperor then spoke of the affairs in Spain. 
" I see only one way to end them," he said, " that is 
by fighting. Spain is the hot-bed of revolution, and 
for the peace of other nations that dangerous ele- 
ment must be suppressed and destroyed. I should like 
to volunteer in such a cause, but how reach Spain 
without passing through France? And would there 
not be danger in interesting France in such a war?" 

I did not venture any observation on such impor- 
tant questions, but changing the subject I said : 
" Lately in Paris we supposed your Majesty to be 
already in Constantinople." 

" Yes," said Alexander, smiling, " they wanted me 
to teach that maniac some of my principles, but 
nothing in the world shall make me go." 

" Sire, your Majesty has given an example of un- 
paralleled moderation and firmness in not allowing 
yourself to be led by a temptation, which must have 
been strong, to make such a fine conquest and to 
deliver Greece from the yoke which oppresses her." 

" No project for enlarging my territories enters 
into any of my political views," said his Majesty; 
"their extent is already so great as to excite the 
attention and envy of the other powers of Europe. 
I cannot, and I will not, favor the insurrection of 
the Greeks, because that step would be contrary to 
the system which I have adopted, and it would cer- 
tainly destroy that peace which I have tried so hard 
to establish, a peace so necessary to Europe. 

2 53 



Historical Memoirs of the 

" Moreover, in giving an ear to the voice of hu- 
manity and that of my own heart, which calls me to 
the help of the Greeks, I should only engage in an 
enterprise which would augment the number of vic- 
tims. The least step that my armies would make in 
their favor would be the signal for a general mas- 
sacre. You know that the Greek population is scat- 
tered over the Peninsula of Morea, which would be 
overrun by the Turks before the Russians could 
reach Constantinople." 

After this grave but interesting conversation the 
emperor, changing the subject, began to make sar- 
castic remarks about the partiality of the King of 
France for a certain lady of his court. 1 " How 
can Louis XVIII., at sixty-seven years of age, have 
mistresses? " 

" But sire," I said, " it is only a platonic affection." 

" I do not admit even that," said he. " I am forty- 
five, while the king is sixty-seven, and I have long 
given up that sort of thing." 

In fact for several years Alexander had led a most 
exemplary life, and Madame N. had for a long time 
been banished to Paris. 

The emperor asked me if I had seen his soldiers 
at the review. I answered that I had seen some 
giants. Really, the men and horses in the army 
appeared to me perfectly gigantic, the horses espe- 

1 Zoe Victoire Talon, Countess of Cayla (born 1784, died 1852), 
was a friend of Queen Hortense. Her husband, with whom she 
lived unhappily and from whom she was ultimately divorced, was 
a member of the little court of the Condes. She was young, ami- 
able, and intelligent when she sought Louis XVIII.'s protection 
against Count du Cayla, who was seeking to remove her children 
from her care, and the king immediately became fascinated with her, 

254 



Emperor Alexander I. 

daily, which were too heavy and too large for cav- 
alry. His Majesty asked me why in all my journeys 
I had never come to St. Petersburg. I said that that 
was my favorite dream, one of my castles in Spain. 

"Why only a castle in Spain?" said Alexander. 
" What do you find so extraordinary in making that 
journey, you who travel with the rapidity of a cou- 
rier?" (I had come from Paris to Vilna in fourteen 
days ! ) " For you, it is like going from Vilkomir to 
Towiany." 

" Not quite, sire," I replied ; " but I will do my 
best to go there next year, and it will be the happiest 
day of my life when I see my husband and my 
child at your Majesty's feet." 

" We cannot boast," said Alexander modestly, 
" that St. Petersburg compares with Paris in the 
beauty and resources of all sorts which that great 
capital offers, but we will endeavor to give you as 
good a reception as we can." 

I showed his Majesty a portrait of my child. He 
looked at it a long time and found him pretty. He 
then asked me questions about my father and about 
the marriages of my brothers ; in fine, his attentive 
and thoughtful kindness was forgetful of nothing 
which could be interesting to me. In taking leave, 
Alexander deigned to renew his assurance of friend- 
ship, and begged me always to be good and gracious 
to him. " Be assured," added he, " that the friendship 
which you inspire in me is pure and disinterested." 

His Majesty deigned to accept a ball which was 
given him by the marshal of the nobility at Vilna, 
at the town hall. Every one remarked that the em- 
peror, in spite of his calling himself an old soldier, 

255 






Historical Memoirs of the 

did not look more than thirty years old. He was 
still remarkably handsome, and had a surprising 
brilliancy. His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke 
Constantine, while dancing with me, asked if it was 
some business which had brought me to Vilna. 
" It is doubtless some suit in the courts," said he ; 
" you Poles do nothing else ; " which unfortunately is 
only too true. 

It was at this ball that I had the honor of seeing 
the Grand Duke Nicholas for the first time (now the 
emperor). I was struck by the perfect dignity and 
elegance of his speech and manners, and I must say 
that I found in the face of this young man some- 
thing more imperial still than in that of the emperor 
himself, which, however, was handsomer. 

His Majesty said good-bye to me at the ball, as he 
was to leave very early the next morning. I agreed 
with several of my friends, Countess Lopacinska, 
Countess Plater, and others, to meet on the boulevard 
where he was to pass. The emperor always travelled 
in an open caleche; he recognized us and bowed. 
He was going then to the Congress of Verona, where 
he had very interesting conferences with M. de 
Montmorency and M. de Chateaubriand, both men 
capable of understanding and appreciating this 
prince, and who returned to Paris delighted with his 
intelligence, his graciousness, and above all with his 
noble way of thinking. M. de Montmorency par- 
ticularly gave a strong proof of his devotion by re- 
signing his place in the ministry when he saw the 
impossibility of carrying out the plan and ideas 
which Alexander had laid before him, and which his 
reason had led him to approve. 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

The emperor on his return from Verona passed 
again through Warsaw, where he honored my mother 
with a visit and conversed with her a long time on 
the merits of MM. de Montmorency and de Cha- 
teaubriand. He charged my mother with remem- 
brances for me. 

At the Congress of Verona Alexander proposed 
to the French government to send his army at his 
own cost to the help of Spain, without the participa- 
tion of France. This proposition, generous in itself, 
caused great anxiety in France, especially in Paris. 
A feeble and timid party, at the head of which was 
M. de Talleyrand, whose quarters were about the 
Faubourg Saint-Germain, were of the opinion that 
the offer should be accepted without hesitation, and 
that they ought to be only too glad that the Emperor 
of Russia was willing to undertake an enterprise so 
dangerous to France. M. de Talleyrand made a 
speech in which he endeavored to prove that Spain 
had once already brought disaster to France ; that 
he had at that time predicted to the government 
the fatal results of the Peninsular war; that he con- 
sidered it his duty to recall them again in the 
present circumstances. 

The Due de Fitz-James, 1 one of the most dis- 
tinguished orators in the Chamber of Peers, declaimed 
loudly against this speech and endeavored to refute 
it. The strongest and boldest party declared that 
it would be an ineffaceable stain upon the honor of 

1 Edouard, Duke Fitz-James (born 1776, died 1838) was the great 
grandson of the Duke of Berwick, who was the natural son of 
James II. The Duke was an ardent Bourbon; he was first aide-de- 
camp to Charles X. 

17 257 



Historical Memoirs of the 

France to allow the intervention of a foreign power 
in the affairs of Spain, which were for France " family 
matters." 

This important question was discussed with much 
interest and warmth in all the salons of Paris, and 
I heard many young and beautiful women express 
themselves on that subject with much eloquence and 
true patriotism. Finally, Louis XVIII. decided the 
question with his usual sagacity. He understood how 
to reconcile French honor and that of the crown with 
the tranquillity of France, by the noble confidence he 
placed in the valor and fidelity of his armies, and by 
choosing for their commander that august prince 
who was destined to add new laurels to those which 
had adorned his ancestors. 1 It is well known how, as 
far as military success is concerned, the result real- 
ized and even surpassed the hopes of the French 
and the expectations of Europe. 

1 Due d'Angouleme (born 1775, died 1844), son of Comte d'Artois, 
afterwards Charles X. of France. 



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Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

THE Emperor Alexander, who had always enjoyed 
the best of health, fell dangerously ill in the 
winter of 1824. Family troubles and anxieties which 
his lively sensibilities probably exaggerated, added 
to a sudden cold, developed a violent malady which 
alarmed the royal family and the entire capital. For 
some time the emperor had adopted the habit of 
retiring often, even in winter, to his favorite residence 
Czarsko-Selo. He had his ministers come there, and 
led a very solitary life, without any other diversion 
than his long walks in the park, which was two or 
three leagues in extent. One day (about the time of 
the marriage of his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke 
Michel) his Majesty had taken a longer walk than 
usual. He returned to the chateau seized with a 
chill, and had his dinner brought to his bedroom ; but 
he could not eat anything, and very soon erysipelas 
developed itself in the leg with frightful rapidity ; 
then followed fever and delirium. 

The emperor was transported at once in a closed 
sleigh to St. Petersburg, where the medical faculty 
were assembled, and fearing gangrene, which began 
to manifest itself, they advised amputating the leg. 
However, the active remedies used having produced 
the desired effect, the excellent constitution of the 
emperor soon led to a happy convalescence. The 
first time that Alexander showed himself in the 
streets of St. Petersburg after this illness, the people 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

everywhere on his route threw themselves on their 
knees, giving touching signs of great joy, and thank- 
ing Heaven for having preserved their father. 

This same year I succeeded in carrying out the 
plan formed so long before, of going to St. Peters- 
burg and there offering my homage and respect 
to my august sovereign, in that beautiful city which 
had been his cradle and where stood his throne. 

We arrived there in the first days of July, the 
season when there is no night in those northern 
regions. During the last stage of our journey from 
Strelna, a chateau of the Grand Duke Constantine, 
whose parks have an extent of three leagues, we 
drove over a broad road between two rows of datcha, 
or country houses, on one side looking upon the sea, 
and on the other upon the canals or branches of 
the Neva. These datcha are separated from each 
other and from the road by gardens, where the white 
birch predominates, whose pale verdure makes a 
strong contrast with the dark green of the pines and 
firs of the North. Vases of flowers dispersed among 
the trees prolong the remembrance of spring to these 
inhabitants of the North. 

All these residences vary in architecture and 
beauty. Here, in the midst of a mass of green, you 
see a Greek temple with its beautiful peristyle and 
noble steps; farther on there is a Chinese pavilion 
with its pagodas and silvery tinkling bells ; again, 
you see a Swiss chalet, a modest habitation in appear- 
ance, but under an unpretentious exterior is hidden 
regal luxury; finally, an Italian belvedere raises its 
elegant proportions above the trees which surround 
it, forming a picturesque contrast to a Gothic chateau 

260 



Emperor Alexander I. 

with its battlemented towers. And everywhere in 
gigantic hot-houses, protected from a humid or icy- 
atmosphere, fruits and flowers grow which nature has 
adapted to other climes. 

In short, a thousand objects manifest tastes as 
varied as ingenious, and vie with one another to 
attract the attention of the traveller. The environs 
of Paris offer nothing, with the exception of the 
royal palaces, to be compared to the magnificence of 
the environs of St. Petersburg, where, moreover, all is 
the work of art. These charming creations, born of 
fancy and wealth, have been constructed upon a 
sterile soil which was formerly only a vast marsh. 

I was equally struck with the imposing and sym- 
metrical beauty of St. Petersburg, whose streets are 
very broad, planted with trees, and embellished with 
pavements of slate. The houses, without having 
the imposing appearance of the handsome hotels of 
Paris, are distinguished by the elegance of the win- 
dows, each consisting of a single pane of glass, and 
by the freshness of their ornaments. One sees also 
at St. Petersburg a great number of remarkable 
edifices. 

All the best society had gone for the summer to 
their datcha. The small number of the inhabitants 
who remained in the city, and nearly all of them in 
the national costume, gave the capital a kind of 
Asiatic appearance which contrasted singularly with 
the perfectly European elegance of the buildings. 
Very few equipages were to be seen in the long 
broad streets or on the immense quays. A few 
English carriages, or carriages made after English 
models, to which were harnessed, Russian fashion, 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

four horses with long manes, were driven very fast 
by bearded coachmen and little noisy postilions. 
Very few pedestrians were to be seen upon the beau- 
tiful broad pavements. 

At night, in the twilight, which resembles neither 
the light of the day nor that of the moon, but spreads 
a kind of magic transparency over everything, this 
beautiful deserted city looked like a vast panorama. 

On arriving at St. Petersburg we stopped for a few 
days at the hotel d'Angleterre, situated in Admiralty 
Place, near the Winter Palace, the residence of his 
Imperial Majesty. This palace is built in the ancient 
style of French architecture. The Admiralty, nearly 
opposite, is a superb edifice, built by the Emperor 
Alexander ; for if Peter the Great founded St. Peters- 
burg, it is Alexander who has beautified it. This 
prince had a fine taste for architecture and was very 
fond of building. 

A promenade planted with several rows of linden- 
trees extends from the imperial palace the whole 
length of the Admiralty buildings, and upon the vast 
space between this avenue and the Neva a hundred 
thousand soldiers of the infantry can be reviewed. 
The river is bordered by a quay of rose-colored 
granite. The Neva, so majestic when calm, so terri- 
ble in a storm, the waters of which are a deep blue, 
is covered for a part of the year with vessels bearing 
the colors of all the nations of the world. There are 
also beautiful yachts darting hither and thither in 
their rapid navigation. The Neva is at the same time 
the ornament, the glory, the wealth, and the terror of 
St. Petersburg. 

The Emperor Alexander was not at St. Petersburg 
262 



Emperor Alexander I. 

when I arrived there. After returning from a journey 
which he had made through the military stations, his 
Majesty had gone to be present at the manoeuvres, 
some leagues from the capital, and it was not known 
when he would return to Czarsko-Selo. My first 
homage was therefore addressed to the statue of the 
great founder of St. Petersburg, — a statue of which 
so many descriptions have been written that I will 
spare the reader mine. Then I went to admire the 
beautiful buildings on the English quay, the Acad- 
emy, and the Bourse, — an immense building where 
all the products of the four quarters of the globe are 
to be found. I visited the superb church of St. Mary 
of Kazan. The exterior of this church is very admi- 
rable, the architecture noble and imposing, and in the 
interior one's eyes are dazzled by the quantity of gold 
and silver which the church contains ; at this magnifi- 
cent display one might imagine he had penetrated 
into the temple of the sun which existed in times past 
at Lima. 

The Goscinny-Devor is a kind of Oriental Bazaar 
where everything is to be found, from the rich shops 
of the gold and silver smiths and the jewellers down 
to those of the simplest artisans. I have never seen 
even in Paris such a variety of fruits as I saw in the 
fruit market at St. Petersburg ; there was every kind, 
and among them enormous pineapples at five francs 
apiece. 

There are but two promenades at St. Petersburg ; 
the first is the summer garden, remarkable for its 
beautiful gilded gates. The second promenade is the 
Ekaterinoslaf garden, situated a little outside the 
town, where the people go in crowds on Sundays and 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

holidays. The carriages of the rich drive about in 
the roads of this park, and here the first of May, which 
is called the beginning of spring at St. Petersburg, is 
celebrated. I noticed curious contrasts, which were 
not also pleasing, in the parties gathered about the 
games, the tea houses, and the Russian mountains. 
The moujyk, the rich merchants of the city, clad in the 
national costume so becoming to their tall figures, 
wearing long beards, which gave them an imposing 
and patriarchal air, walked gravely along accompa- 
nied by their wives and daughters dressed in the Eu- 
ropean fashion. There is not the least bit of taste in 
the finery of these latter ; it is a desperate mixture of 
Parisian gewgaws oddly thrown together without re- 
gard to fashion or becomingness. Then there was a 
face under a hat loaded with flowers, — the Slavonic 
face with a flat nose and yellow complexion; and 
under a beautiful, embroidered dress a horrid pair of 
badly made shoes. Beside these caricatures, these 
parodies of Parisian elegance, were the nurses in the 
patrician families, dressed in that costume which 
makes the ugliest face beautiful, — the kakochnik, a 
gold bonnet covered with stones, very high, giving 
height to the figure, the silk caftan which shows the 
proportions so well, and the rich pelisse thrown over 
the shoulders as a protection against the cold in this 
changeable climate. This costume is rich, elegant, 
and graceful. I think if I had the honor to be a sov- 
ereign of Russia I should immediately adopt it, and 
forever abandon the capricious fashions which Paris 
imposes upon the whole world. This example would 
be followed by the court, the town, and the empire, 
and would be the same as a sumptuary law; for it is 

264 



Emperor Alexander I. 

acknowledged that a costume, however rich it may 
be, which is not subject to the changes of fashion, 
costs much less than that which requires constant 
change. 

I visited the interior of the Winter Palace. The 
gallery of pictures contains many chefs-d'oeuvre of the 
great masters; and had recently been greatly en- 
riched by a beautiful collection which the Emperor 
Alexander had acquired at Malmaison at the death 
of the Empress Josephine. The collection of medals 
which formerly belonged to the house of Orleans is 
also very valuable. 

I saw in the Winter Garden at the Hermitage the 
descendants of the pigeons fed by the hand of Cath- 
erine II. We made several expeditions outside town, 
to Kamenoy-Ostroff, where the daughter-in-law of 
M. de C. lived, Countess Edward de C, ne'e Prin- 
cess Galitzin, — a woman distinguished alike for her 
beauty and for her amiable and sweet character. 
Kamenoy-Ostroff is about a league from the city. 
To reach it you must cross the Neva on a bridge of 
boats. The name signifies " The Isle of Stones" 
There are numerous datcha here, all very attractive, 
scattered about in a wood surrounded by water, and 
separated by canals, arms of the Neva and of the little 
river Noire. These waters form numerous islands, 
which are united by bridges. The chateau and gar- 
dens, which are not very extensive, are situated near 
a branch of the Neva where the imperial yacht lies. 
Not far off and near the river is the beautiful mansion 
of Greek architecture belonging to M. Laval, and 
those of M. Narishkin, Count Strogonoff, and others ; 
it would be impossible for me to mention them all. 

265 



Historical Memoirs of the 

I can only say that the beauty of these waters and the 
freshness of the verdure make the spot a retreat of 
veritable enchantment during two or three months 
of the year. 

The island Krestofsky is a large public garden 
similar to the old Jardin Baujou in the Champs- 
Elys^es. Near it is the island Yelagine, where stands 
the chateau belonging to the dowager empress. The 
elegant form and the pure white of this palace, built 
in the midst of flowering fields surrounded by water, 
make it appear like a lily standing in the midst of 
a mass of roses in a crystal vase. 

I saw also the palace and gardens of Torride, 
that ostentatious creation of the pompous Potemkin. 
The ball-room, which is also a winter garden, is of 
gigantic dimensions. They were working on decora- 
tions and preparing for fireworks for the reception 
of her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Marie, 
Princess of Orange. 



?66 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

HAVING heard of his Majesty's return to Czar- 
sko-Selo, I resolved to go there, although a 
little discouraged by what I had heard, that he never 
accorded an audience in the country. I was told 
that even by writing it was difficult to reach the 
emperor, as it was doubtful if the letter would be 
given him. Besides the natural desire to offer hom- 
age to my sovereign, I had a number of petitions to 
make to him ; among others that of having my child 
christened at last. I started off with a feeling of 
timidity and discouragement, and if I could have 
avoided the journey I would have done so gladly. 

Czarsko-Selo is three leagues from St. Petersburg. 
I stopped at an inn called the French Restaurant, 
where I had for myself and my maids only one small, 
badly furnished chamber. The host, greatly as- 
tonished that I was not enchanted with my lodgings, 
said that it was the same that the French ambassador 
had when he came to Czarsko-Selo. I decided in 
the evening to go and obtain some information from 
Countess Ojarowska, wife of his Majesty's general 
aide-de-camp, whom I had known for a long time, a 
very obliging and amiable woman, and who was one of 
my compatriots. 

My friends lived in the park. I passed in front of 
the palace, an immense edifice in the old French 
style, overloaded with sculpture, gildings, and cupolas. 
It seemed to be deserted. There were no sentinels 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

on duty in the court. This imperial solitude inspired 
in me melancholy reflections. " No," I said to myself, 
" the Emperor Alexander of St. Petersburg is no 
longer the Emperor Alexander of Towiany, of Vilna, 
of Warsaw. So it is with princes. 

" With what joy, with what ardor did I receive his 
Majesty every time he deigned to come and see me ! 
Here, what a difference ! Perhaps I shall not obtain 
even so much as a glass of water in this palace, in- 
hospitable as are all the habitations of the great. 
Happy are those who never approach them, and 
more happy still are those who have nothing to ask 
of them." 

Occupied with these sad thoughts, I walked slowly 
along without being distracted even by the noise 
of passing carriages, until I arrived at the Chinese 
village. This is a collection of pretty houses, twenty 
or more in number, built in the Chinese style, which 
serve as dwellings for his Majesty's aides-de-camp. 
Each one of these gentlemen has his house, his stable, 
his conservatory, and his garden. In the centre of 
this village built in the form of a star, is a pavilion 
surrounded by poplar trees, where these gentlemen, 
the aides-de-camp, give parties, balls, and concerts. 
That part of the park around the village, — the 
bridges, trellises, kiosks, pagodas, etc., — is all in 
strict Chinese style, and is only a point in the im- 
mensity of the park. 

General Ojarowski and his wife received me very 
cordially. They believed that the emperor would be 
a number of days still at the reviews. However, 
having sent to the palace and learning that his 
Majesty was to pass the night there, the general 

268 



Emperor Alexander I. 

advised me to go early in the morning with his wife 
into the park, saying that it was the only way of 
meeting the emperor, who walked there every morn- 
ing. The idea of pursuing the emperor over a park 
several leagues in extent seemed strange to me ; how- 
ever, I had to submit, in spite of the desire I had to 
return immediately to St. Petersburg. Count O. in- 
sisted on conducting me back to the inn. In passing 
through an avenue I perceived in a transverse alley 
an officer in undress uniform. (This was the dress 
adopted by the court when in the country.) This 
officer saluted us. I thought I recognized the em- 
peror, but he seemed to me slenderer, and it was 
dark in the avenues. I said nothing, but the little 
nephew of the general cried out suddenly, " There is 
the emperor ! " Madame O. said : "It is your fortu- 
nate star which brings him, for he never walks in the 
park at this hour." Then she and I retraced our 
steps. When the emperor saw us coming towards 
him he also advanced, and when he recognized me 
he exclaimed in great surprise: "Is it possible that it 
is you? How long have you been here?" Upon 
my reply, he reproached me for not treating him as 
a friend, in not letting him know of my arrival by 
a word, for having made him lose a fortnight; and he 
used many other kind expressions, which were so 
natural to this prince. I excused myself by saying 
I did not wish to importune his Majesty, knowing 
that he was at the manoeuvres. " I would have made 
other arrangements," answered the emperor. He 
received the respectful homage which my mother 
had charged me to lay at his feet, with his usual 
kindness, inquired with interest about her health, and 

269 



Historical Memoirs of the 

asked if her rooms were still filled with pictures 
and birds. His Majesty asked me where I lodged, 
and said: "You must be horribly uncomfortable in 
that inn. Let me offer you hospitality. I can 
answer for it, you will be more comfortable than 
down there." I accepted with the thankfulness be- 
fitting an act of courtesy so kind and so unexpected. 

His Majesty left us to have rooms prepared for me 
and to send me a "guide." Then I returned to the inn 
with Madame O., delighted at this unexpected meet- 
ing, and relieved of the fear of not finding the 
emperor so favorably disposed toward me as for- 
merly. I found him on the contrary more gracious, 
if possible, and full of that incomparable kindness 
which ought to have attached all to him, but for their 
lack of gratitude. 

On returning to the inn I retired immediately, not 
thinking that I was to be moved the same evening 
to the palace. Hardly was I in bed when the guide 
and a carriage arrived to fetch me. The apartment, 
the supper, all was ready except me. The next 
morning at 7 o'clock the emperor's first valet de 
chambre was at my door with one of those light, ele- 
gant carriages which were used in driving about the 
park, to which two superb horses were harnessed. 
I dressed in haste and started with my child. 

I was driven to the Palace Alexander, so called 
because it had been built for that prince by the 
order of the Empress Catherine, according to the 
design and plans of an excellent Italian architect. 
This palace is remarkable for the elegance and har- 
mony of its proportions. The ground-floor is gener- 
ally occupied by the Grand Duke Nicholas and his 

270 



Emperor Alexander I. 

august spouse, but they were not there then. The 
apartment which they had allotted to me was on the 
next floor, at the end of a long open gallery, which 
opened on the dining-room and served as choir for 
the musicians at the grand dinners. From all the 
windows I had charming views of the park and the 
imperial chateau, which is about a hundred yards 
from the Alexander Palace. A mass of green which 
partly covers the edifice leaves in view the five gilt 
cupolas of the chapel surmounted by brilliant crosses, 
which in calm weather are reflected in a bit of 
water clearly defined and surrounded by a verdant 
lawn. 

An elegantly served breakfast, with baskets of rare 
fruits, was already prepared in my apartment. The 
valet de chambre left me after asking if I had any 
orders, and if I was satisfied with my rooms. I was 
absolutely alone in this great palace, with the excep- 
tion of my child and the domestics of the court, for 
mine were still at the inn. With the help of the 
imagination I could have thought myself in fairyland 
in some enchanted castle. 

I descended into the park and soon met Gen- 
eral O., who was coming with his wife to see me. 
They told me that they had seen the emperor and that 
he had spoken of the christening, saying that he was 
ready to satisfy my wishes in that respect, and that 
it was only necessary to fix the day. Chatting thus 
we approached a new building which the emperor 
was amusing himself by having built in the park. 
It was perfectly square and very high, called " The 
Tower of the Equestrians" because there were 
statues of equestrians placed in niches in the four 

271 



Historical Memoirs of the 

faces of the tower. It was to contain apartments 
for the young Grand Duke Alexander. 

His Majesty, who was watching the workmen, came 
to meet us, and said graciously that he hoped I was 
better lodged in my new quarters than at the inn. 
He asked me why I had not moved the evening before, 
assuring me that he had lost no time in sending me 
a guide. I presented my child to the emperor, who 
laughed heartily at the idea he had formed of him, 
always calling him the big soldier. When I returned 
to the palace I sent back the post-horses to St. 
Petersburg, and wrote to M. de C, telling him of the 
good news of his Majesty and asking him to come 
and join me. 

The emperor's valet de chambve came immediately 
to announce the visit of his Majesty at noon, and in 
spite of a pouring rain it took place at the hour 
indicated. His Majesty, with all the hospitality of the 
most amiable lord of the manor, asked me if I was sat- 
isfied with my rooms and if they would be sufficient 
to lodge M. de C. comfortably, adding kindly that 
M. de C. was his old comrade in arms. Then he 
asked me if I would prefer to be lodged in the 
Chinese village, to be nearer Countess O. Nothing 
but kindness could inspire such perfect and delicate 
politeness. 

Alexander then said that the court was about to 
remove to Peterhof, and asked me if I would also go 
there. 

Having been informed by my mother of the con- 
dition of my affairs, he kindly showed an interest in 
them. In the short explanation which I made in 
soliciting a loan from the imperial bank on terms 

272 



Emperor Alexander I. 

more favorable than those allowed by the law, I was 
obliged to state that M. de C. had divided a part of 
his property among his children, and I had the rest, 
with the understanding that I was to pay the debts 
which he had contracted in carrying out the last 
wishes of his father. " That is to say that M. de C. 
has nothing, and you have n't much," said his 
Majesty. " That is only too true, sire," I replied. 
The emperor assured me of his constant desire to 
oblige me, and asked me for a memorandum of the 
business. 

In speaking to his Majesty of the impression which 
St. Petersburg had made upon me, I praised the 
beauty of that capital, as one may imagine. " Yes, 
it is a beautiful city," said he, " but after all there are 
only walls, and you will not find the society here 
which you have left at Paris." I took the oppor- 
tunity to repeat what I had already had the honor 
of saying to his Majesty, that the society of Paris, 
divided up by so many interests and differences of 
opinion, offered little pleasure; that the demon of 
politics had taken possession of every head in France ; 
that from the cab driver and match vender, the one 
on his cab and the other on his rounds, there was 
not one individual who did not believe it to be to 
his interest to understand, or at least to read, the daily 
newspaper, especially the Constitutionnel ; that one 
heard nothing in the most brilliant salons of Paris 
but the debates of the two chambers, and the opera- 
tions of the ministry ; finally, that in this conflict of 
feelings, prejudices, and opinions on matters of such 
grave interest, the tone of conversation necessarily 
and unfortunately lost that ease, that grace, that 
18 273 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Attic flavor which formerly distinguished France 
from all other nations of Europe. 

Before leaving me his Majesty deigned to renew 
the strongest assurances of his interest and attach- 
ment, begging me not to regard what he said as 
empty words. 

General O. and his amiable wife obligingly offered 
to show us the park of Czarsko-Selo. The emperor 
had made the greater part of it, or at least enlarged 
and beautified it. He had it kept with a care and 
scrupulous cleanliness which I have seen nowhere 
else. A thousand workmen are employed every day 
in sweeping the paths and roads, and in cutting, 
rolling, and raking the grass, which is most beautiful. 
A few steps from the palace, and even in the presence 
of the emperor, you can hear the workmen laughing 
and singing, and the happiness which they seem to 
enjoy fills your own mind with a feeling of satisfaction. 

The most remarkable buildings in the park are : 
Windsor Castle, — in small dimensions, but built after 
the exact model of that of England, in the midst of a 
dark forest, — the theatre, and the fancy farm. The 
last was one of the favorite resorts of the Emperor 
Alexander, offering him interest, exercise, and rural 
industry. This farm is ornamented with trellises and 
a pretty pigeon-house in the French style, and con- 
tains in its magnificent cowhouses the most beautiful 
cattle to be found in Europe, cows from the Tyrol, 
Switzerland, Hungary, Holland, Kalmogonod, and 
other places, besides a fine flock of merino sheep 
which graze in the park. 

The interior of the farmhouse is Dutch ; the walls 
are of blue faience; the closets containing the farm 

274 



Emperor Alexander I. 

utensils have glass doors. They showed me the 
account books, magnificently bound, in which his 
Majesty himself kept the accounts of the produce of 
the sheep. He was very proud of wearing a uniform 
of cloth made from their wool. 

These simple occupations, which brought the 
emperor nearer to nature, relaxed his mind from the 
cares of State. Not far from the farm is the house 
of the llamas, kept by a man who brought them from 
Asia. These animals are never allowed to run free, 
consequently they look sad and feeble. The part of 
the park which is designed the best is about the lake, 
whose extent is considerable, and whose depth is 
sufficient to bear large yachts and the model of a 
ship. There are charming ruins on its banks after 
designs by Robert, and the trees are artistically 
grouped. At the end of the park there is a trium- 
phal arch bearing this inscription in Russian and in 
French : " To my dear companions in arms." 

They showed me a kind of grotto, called Pansilippe. 
This is a rock in the form of a vault, a caprice of 
nature, as the ground all about is quite even and flat. 
They were working on an antique model for a bath- 
house for the Emperor, or rather they were demolish- 
ing it, as it was not large enough to receive an 
immense basin cut in a solid block of rose granite 
large enough to swim in. 

I visited next the apartments of the palace, — the 
grand gilded hall where the empress held her 
audiences ; the apartments of the Emperor Alexander, 
whose many rooms were both magnificent and taste- 
ful. The walls are covered with lapis lazuli, porphyry, 
and amber ; the floors are incrusted with mother of 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

pearl and precious woods. The grand open gallery 
which communicates with the apartment of the em- 
press, and where one has a beautiful view of the lake 
and the ruins and the fields of flowers, is ornamented 
with bronze busts, mostly of great men of antiquity. 
They remind one of chapters of Plutarch ; one reads 
them again on the foreheads of these ancient heroes. 

At Czarsko-Selo the Emperor Alexander lived a 
simple country life. He had no court and in the 
absence of the grand marshal the emperor himself 
kept the accounts of the household expenses. He 
received his ministers only on certain days of the 
week. Alexander rose generally at five o'clock, 
made his toilet, wrote, and then went into the park, 
where he visited his farm and the new buildings which 
were being constructed, gave audiences to those who 
had petitions to present, and who often followed him 
over the whole park, which was always open, night 
and day. The emperor always walked alone without 
distrust, and he had sentinels only at the chateau and 
at the Palace of Alexander. On account of his health 
he was obliged to observe a strict regime. He dined 
alone in his private apartments, and was accustomed 
to retire early. At the hour of retiring the band of the 
guards played under his windows ; they usually played 
plaintive airs, which I could hear from my apartment. 

The Empress Elizabeth, on her side, lived in strict 
retirement. She had about her person only one 
maid of honor, and received no presentations at 
Czarsko-Selo. She deigned to make one exception 
in my favor. I was so fortunate as to have an inter- 
view with this princess, which left me truly enthusi- 
astic about her goodness and graciousness. The 

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Emperor Alexander I. 

empress was then about forty-five years old. Her 
figure was slight, well proportioned, and middle-sized. 
Her delicate complexion, which, however, had suffered 
from the harshness of the climate, and the fineness of 
her features showed still what must have been her 
attractions in the springtime of life. There was 
a certain languor in her language and manners, and 
her expression was intellectual and gentle ; her smile 
was sad and her voice sweet, — in a word, there was 
something angelic about her as of a creature not 
made for this world. I shall never forget her cordial 
reception, and the kind things which she deigned to 
say about the manner in which she had come to know 
about me in 1812. She spoke to me about my 
humble writings, saying she had read them with 
pleasure, and that she was glad I had chosen histori- 
cal subjects from a nation in which she took a most 
lively interest. I answered that such flattering ap- 
probation made me very proud, since I had never 
dared hope for her august approval, or even that my 
poor productions should be placed before her. Her 
Majesty then asked me if I had begun another work, 
and what was the subject of it. I explained the plot 
of Nain Politique, which I had just commenced ; her 
Majesty approved of the plan, and said it offered a 
double historical interest for France and for Poland, 
besides describing an epoch which was little known. 

Elizabeth spoke of Walter Scott's novels, which she 
admired with that keenness of perception and clear- 
ness of judgment which shone in all she said. This 
eminently learned princess devoted nearly all her 
time to French and Russian literature. She ques- 
tioned me about my travels in France and Germany. 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

I spoke of the picturesque parts of Germany, espe- 
cially the banks of the Rhine, where among the 
beauties of nature were to be found so many ancient 
monuments, Roman structures, Gothic castles, ruins 
of the feudal times — "souvenirs of all times/'added 
the empress, in her gentle manner. These words said 
more than my whole recital, and I showed by my 
looks that I understood to what she alluded. 

It was impossible to see the Empress Elizabeth 
even once without feeling for her a respectful attrac- 
tion ; and I said this to her maid of honor, with tears 
in my eyes, adding : " How happy she deserved to 
be ! I dare not say more." 

My Aunt Radzivil, who was honored with many 
marks of kindness by the Empress Elizabeth, gave 
her the surname The Serene. This word character- 
ized that princess perfectly. It showed itself even in 
the letters which she wrote to my aunt. 

The empress never went out in the park till toward 
evening, and then on horseback. There I often saw 
her riding through the dark avenues, accompanied 
only by her maid of honor and a groom. There 
always seemed to be a shade of melancholy about 
this princess. It was said she avoided walking in the 
park in the morning for fear of annoying the emperor, 
but ought she to have had that fear? What a differ- 
ence would it have made in the happiness of both, if 
they had been able to understand each other ! They 
seemed to have been made the one for the other ; the 
same goodness, the same gentleness and intellectual 
power. Yet there seemed to have been one point on 
which their hearts could not meet. Why is it that 
death alone has reunited such perfect souls ? 

278 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

I HAD the honor also to be presented to the 
august mother of Alexander, that princess whose 
virtues are the example and the glory of her family. 
The day that I was presented at Pawlowsky, her sum- 
mer residence, I followed his Majesty and the court 
of the empress-mother, which was always numerous 
and brilliant, to a pavilion called The Roses, where 
dinner was served. After dinner her Majesty de- 
scended into the garden and cut roses with the Eng- 
lish scissors designed for that purpose, distributing 
them among the ladies. She gave me two, which I 
have preserved as a souvenir of the day, and of the 
kindness of this princess. 

The majestic height and the beautiful proportions 
of the empress and her imposing carriage strike the 
eye at first sight, and inspire a respect accompanied 
by a kind of timidity. But the kindness which shows 
itself in every feature restores confidence and fills 
each heart with a respectful attachment for this 
sovereign. 

The festivities at Peterhof were not to take place 
that year on account of the departure of her Imperial 
Highness the Grand Duchess Alexandra, who was 
about to embark, to return by sea to Prussia. Still, 
great crowds of people arrived to see the fountains 
play, which are very fine. We were lodged at Peter- 
hof in the rooms of the Austrian ambassador, in the 

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Palace of Alexander, situated in a park, where the 
foreign ministers are usually lodged when they are 
admitted to court festivities. 

As at Czarsko-Selo, our table, equipage, etc., were 
furnished from the court. The servants, very good 
people who adored their august master, worked by 
the quarter and changed every week. As what was 
left over was a perquisite to them, they were very 
eager to have us eat. They served us tea, chocolate, 
coffee, and all sorts of cakes in the morning; soon 
afterwards a second breakfast ; dinner at three o'clock, 
all kinds of ices at dessert and the choicest of wines ; 
tea in the evening, and later supper whether we wanted 
it or not. Moreover, in the intervals between these 
meals they would come to ask us if we were not 
hungry. 

On St. Peter's day the imperial family met at the 
chateau. It was there that I saw the Grand Duchess 
Nicholas for the first time, and I was struck by the 
elegance of her form and the beauty of her tall 
figure. Surrounded by her ladies in waiting, whom 
she surpassed by a head, you would have said it was 
Calypso in the midst of her nymphs. 

I had the honor to be presented to this princess, 
and to the Grand Duchess Michel, who deigned to 
address a few words to me. The empress-mother 
received also that day. She asked me how I liked 
Peterhof. This place has a singularly imposing 
beauty. The palace, built in the old style, is neither 
large nor handsome, but from the balcony of the 
audience hall there is a magnificent view of the 
gardens, and through the interlacing jets of water, 
resplendent with the sun's rays or with the brill- 

280 



Emperor Alexander I. 

iancy of illumination, one can see the sea covered 
with vessels coming from or going to Cronstadt. 

They show in the park a favorite pavilion of Peter 
the Great, where he had a little kitchen with all the 
Dutch utensils. They show to the curious, the 
dressing-gown and the night-cap of Peter the Great, 
and even the slippers of Catherine. Opposite the 
pavilion is a pond, and the old golden carps which 
Peter the Great used to feed still come at the sound 
of a bell to get what is thrown to them. Peterhof 
has a great paper manufactory where they make 
vellum, and an establishment for cutting the fine 
stones which are brought from Siberia, such as 
amethyst, topaz, and malachite. 

M. de C. obtained a special audience of the em- 
peror at Peterhof, and a kind reception, which filled 
him with admiration for that prince. At the moment 
of dismissing M. de C. the emperor said : " I am 
sorry to be obliged to leave you, but I am going to 
accompany my sister-in-law to Oranienbaum, where 
she embarks to-day for Prussia; " and he asked if he 
had seen the vessel destined to carry her Imperial 
Highness. Knowing that his Majesty, as an act of 
kindness to the Grand Duchess, had had the vessel 
supplied with every comfort and luxury, M. de C., 
who had been to see it with me, praised the arrange- 
ments to his Majesty, who, fearing the consequences 
of the long sea voyage, replied : " I have done all 
that I could to make the voyage less painful, but I 
cannot prevent seasickness." 

This vessel, which had just come from the dock- 
yard, carried forty-five guns and eight hundred men. 
The apartments of her Imperial Highness consisted 



Historical Memoirs of the 

of seven rooms and a chapel, and were furnished 
and hung with green silk. A tent was to be set up 
on deck, where the band was to play. In a word 
nothing was neglected which could contribute to the 
pleasure of a sea voyage. The captain, who had 
already made a voyage round the world, told us he 
would rather do it again twice than undertake this 
commission, very honorable without doubt, but the 
responsibility of which he dreaded. 

The court remained only a week at Peterhof. The 
empress-mother went to the castle of Yelagine and 
the emperor to St. Petersburg. There I received 
a note from his Majesty, who wrote to arrange with 
me the day for the christening. " Do not trouble 
yourself about me," he wrote. " I am not a novice 
in this kind of thing." 

The baptismal ceremony was a little longer than 
is customary, as the abbot, M. Lockman, the com- 
mander of the chapel of Malta, thought it necessary 
to read the service in Latin and in French ; he added 
a very good exhortation, addressed to the godfather, 
the father, and the mother, to persuade them to bring 
up the child in the principles of religion, in order to 
preserve in him the gifts which he had just received 
by the rite of baptism. The emperor looked at me 
and smiled at the moments critical for the child, who, 
however, bore the trials of salt and water very well, 
as the rich dress of the abbot and his deacon, the 
ornaments of the altar, and the lights were a happy 
diversion. 

After the immersion the emperor himself dried the 
long curls of the neophyte and addressed a few words 
of thanks to the abbot, M. Lockman. Then observ- 



Emperor Alexander I. 

ing that M. de C. had retired immediately after the 
ceremony, Alexander rose and went to fetch him, 
saying he was surprised that M. de C. had not 
remained ; and having brought him back to the salon, 
he made him sit down in his presence. 

The conversation soon turned to politics. His 
Majesty deprecated the change of ministry in France, 
attributing it in a great measure to the influence of a 
certain lady. He showed regret at the retirement of 
M. de Chateaubriand, and made some sharp observa- 
tions on the petty and commercial views of Mr. 
Canning, of whom he did n't think much. 

His Majesty was so kind as to ask us to come and 
take our abode at Czarsko-Selo again before his 
departure for Siberia. " And may I not have the 
pleasure of finding you here on my return," he said, 
"and of seeing you this winter at St. Petersburg?" 
In showing our full appreciation of such a kind and 
gracious invitation, we were obliged to answer that 
M. de C.'s affairs, and especially his duty, called him 
back to France. 

The emperor spoke of the malady of Louis XVIII. , 
a malady sufficiently grave to cause anxiety for the 
life of the king. " I hope," said Alexander, " that in 
any case a change of reign will not bring trouble into 
France, and that Monsieur, who is loved, will know 
how to use the necessary firmness." 

I showed the emperor a ring that my mother had 
sent me. It had the head of Alexander engraved on 
a turquoise, and I said it was the most acceptable 
present she could have made me. The emperor 
thanked me and said he was greatly indebted to my 
mother, since the ring would serve to keep his mem- 

283 



Historical Memoirs of the 

ory alive, and he begged me to remember him to my 
mother. 

When his Majesty got into his carriage again the 
crowd of people who filled the streets sent up those 
joyous hurrahs which the presence of their dearly 
loved sovereign always called forth. The emperor 
was about to undertake a two months' journey of 
seven thousand versts to visit the Ural mountains, 
where a rich gold mine had been discovered. That 
part of the empire was unknown to his Majesty, who 
proposed to travel over all his States to judge for 
himself of the welfare of his subjects and of the means 
of encouraging national industry, and to promote 
commerce by building new roads and channels of 
communication. 

The day of the emperor's departure I had gone 
early into the park to look at the Tower of the 
Equestrians. Soon I saw the emperor arrive from 
the other side. I hastened to take my portfolio and 
make my retreat, but his Majesty, having seen me, 
followed me across the wood, saying that I ran so 
fast he could hardly overtake me. I excused myself 
for having disturbed him. The emperor asked me 
to guess what time he had gotten up that morning. 
" At four o'clock," said I. " No, at half-past three," 
said he. " I am overwhelmed with work," continued 
he. " Every year at this time I make a journey in 
the empire. Ah well ! Every year ! Yet, as if they 
expected to see me no more, everybody will make 
haste to finish his business with me." What a strange 
presentiment! One year later at the same season 
Alexander made another journey — and he was seen 
no more. 

284 



Emperor Alexander I. 

I asked the emperor, knowing that the wound in 
his leg was open again, if his health did not suffer 
from such long journeys. " No," he said, " the season 
is favorable for travelling in those countries, where 
there is no rain at this time of the year and only 
slight frosts at night." 

Then the emperor said that my business relating 
to the loan was settled, and expressed his regret that 
he could not fulfil my other request. M. de C.'s 
eldest son had been in the service of Russia since his 
most tender youth, or rather since his childhood, and 
wished to obtain the place of aide-de-camp to his 
Majesty, and had begged me to ask for it for him. I 
had it very much at heart to succeed in this affair, not 
knowing how difficult it was, and I neglected nothing 
that could be done to bring about the desired result. 

His Majesty said : " I must answer you frankly, as 
to a person whom I love and respect; it is impossible 
for me to give this young man, who has never seen 
one day of military duty, a position which is regarded 
as the reward of long and active service." 

I insisted on the eleven years which my step-son 
had served. 

" Eleven years ! " replied Alexander. " What is 
that? There are many distinguished soldiers in 
Poland who have served twenty years, — and what 
service ! Men who have been much in war and who 
have been wounded apply for this place. I cannot, 
then, without injustice, give it to this young man. 
Put yourself in my place as doing them this wrong." 

I begged his Majesty to put himself for an instant 
in mine, and to pardon me if I had made an importu- 
nate demand. 

285 



Historical Memoirs of the 

"Nothing can be importunate on your part," he 
replied, and left me, promising me a visit at noon. 

When he came he renewed his excuses for having 
refused me the favor in question. I seized the oppor- 
tunity to beg him to remember the young man on 
some other occasion, speaking of his zeal in his Ma- 
jesty's service. The emperor asked me several ques- 
tions on the subject which proved his real interest. 

Alexander then made me some compliments about 
my writings. I told him of the little literary war 
which I had waged for him a few years before, over 
a worthless work entitled " The Recollections of a 
French Prisoner." The story seemed to amuse him. 

When Alexander was speaking of his journey, I 
said that to make the tour through all his provinces 
as far as Kamskatka would take more than a year, 
and that the other day M. de C. and I had amused 
ourselves by making his Majesty take possession of 
China to round out his empire. " Oh ! my empire 
is already too round, and your idea is very impolitic," 
said his Majesty. " Russia is already only too large ; 
the great distances between the governments make 
communication too slow; consequently governmental 
action is often delayed and disturbed." 

The emperor then spoke of the revolution which 
had just broken out in Portugal. I permitted myself 
to suggest that it was difficult not to attribute this 
movement to English policy. The emperor did not 
reply, but he nodded his head approvingly. 

During the conversation, my child, who was play- 
ing in the gallery, came every minute to open the 
door of the salon, and then ran away as soon as I 
called him. The emperor said the little chap was 

286 



Emperor Alexander I. 

anxious to see him out of the house, that he might 
play alone with his mamma. I went to fetch him, 
and put him on the table near his Majesty, who 
kissed him and advised me to let him develop 
naturally and never to try to constrain his natural 
disposition. Poor prince ! how he loved children, 
and how happy he would have been if he could 
have kept his own ! The Empress Elizabeth had 
two daughters, who died in their infancy. 

I expressed my gratitude to the emperor for the 
kindnesses which their Imperial Majesties had shown 
me, and I acknowledged in them a new proof of his 
great indulgence in my favor. 

" You owe nothing except to yourself," replied his 
Majesty. " The empresses were already advanta- 
geously acquainted with you before they saw you." 

I had an enormous pineapple on my table, which 
the emperor had sent me, who every day sent baskets 
of fruit to the ladies of his acquaintance at Czarsko- 
Selo. In speaking of the hot-houses and of the 
especial taste of the dowager empress for flowers, I 
said that her Majesty also cultivated young plants 
that were even more interesting than the beautiful 
flowers of her gardens. Alexander understood me 
and replied that the establishments for the young 
which had been founded by the empress had greatly 
corrected the morals and had done an enormous 
amount of good among all classes of the society of 
St. Petersburg. The emperor adored his mother, 
and he had a most tender affection for all the 
members of the imperial family, especially for his 
brothers, always trying to anticipate their slightest 
wishes. He was adored by them also. 

287 



Historical Memoirs of the 

His Majesty left me to go and dine at Pawlowsky 
with the empress-mother. In making his adieux he 
said : " So you are going back to France ; when can 
we hope to see you again? You see that the journey 
to St. Petersburg is nothing." 

I answered, knowing that his Majesty proposed to 
come to Warsaw the following year, that I would do 
my best to come thither also and to have the honor 
to do him homage. He seemed satisfied, for this 
prince did not like to be separated from those people 
in whom he was interested. This reminds me of 
something he had said to me a few days before: 
" People always think when I go away that they will 
never see me again." 

When I would have kissed his hand, at the moment 
when he offered to take mine, he withdrew it quickly, 
saying that we were old friends enough to kiss 
each other. I followed the emperor as far as the 
gallery, expressing the wishes which I would never 
cease to form for his happiness. At the word " hap- 
piness," and as if he did not believe in it, he made a 
motion whose sad expression struck my heart, and 
which I shall never forget. He was gone, and I was 
never to see him again ! 

I am certain, and many other people have made 
the same observation, that Alexander entertained 
the darkest presentiments for a long time before 
his death. It appears that he was particularly op- 
pressed with them before that last fatal journey to 
Taganrog. It is said that he could not control his 
feelings on receiving the adieux of his family and the 
court ; in leaving St. Petersburg he had the carriage 
stop, and he turned to look once more on that 

288 



Emperor Alexander I. 

superb city. The melancholy expression of his 
countenance seemed to address a sad and last fare- 
well to that place which had seen his birth. 

M. de C. and I attributed this sadness to a recent 
grief which his Majesty had suffered; he had just 
lost his daughter, a daughter whom he had never 
recognized and who bore the name of her mother. 
This interesting young person was attacked by some 
lung trouble and was brought from Paris to St. 
Petersburg against the advice of the physicians, but 
putting faith in certain magnetic charlatans who pre- 
dicted long life, health, and marriage. Already dy- 
ing she was betrothed to Count C, who magnetized 
her according to the orders of the clairvoyants at 
Paris ; and when the magnificent trousseau ordered in 
Paris arrived (it cost 400,000 francs) this interesting 
child was dead. The ornaments for the burial and 
the funeral crown of the virgin replaced the bridal 
veil and the brilliant jewels which had been des- 
tined for days of festivity. 

The emperor learned of this cruel event while at 
the parade. His face in an instant became deathly 
pale, but he had the courage not to interrupt the 
drill, and only let these words escape him : " I have 
received the punishment for my sins." 

And who consoled Alexander in this trouble? 
Who wiped away his tears ? It was an angel ; it was 
Elizabeth. Unhappy at having lost her own children, 
she loved this young girl, and when, in her childhood 
she met her by chance, she pressed the child to her 
breast, and sadly sought in her childish features a 
resemblance to him she loved. 

The emperor often went alone to the grave of his 
19 289 



Historical Memoirs of the 

daughter, and had a monument raised to her memory 
in the church of Saint Sergius at St. Petersburg. 

On the eve of his Majesty's departure General 
Houvaroff brought me a beautiful diamond agraffe 
from his august master. I said that, the emperor 
having certainly forgotten that he had already made 
me a present on the occasion of the christening, I 
thought I ought not to accept this ; but the general 
said that my refusal would displease the emperor. So 
I dared not refuse. 

That day, before leaving Czarsko-Selo I obtained my 
farewell audience with the Empress Elizabeth. This 
princess received me with her accustomed gentleness 
and grace. She knew how to combine the dignity of 
a sovereign and the refinement of a gifted woman in 
her conversation. She spoke of the journey of the 
emperor, saying, " I hope travelling will do the em- 
peror good." This interview was not so long as the 
preceding one, a^ the empress was to receive the 
ministers and Alexander's retinue. 

" I trust," said she, " that business or family affairs 
will soon bring you back to this country; " and she 
deigned to add that she regretted to have me go. 
When Elizabeth rose I begged her to drive me from 
her presence, not having the courage to go myself. 
I told her that the respectful attachment which I felt 
for her was a heritage which my Aunt Radzivil had left 
me, and which I should preserve all my life. Eliza- 
beth expressed her sorrow at the loss of my aunt. 
" She was good, so charming ! " she said. Her Maj- 
esty would not allow me to kiss her hand, although I 
said I did it from attachment as much as out of re- 
spect. She bade me kiss her cheek. 

290 



Emperor Alexander I. 

I did not expect to see her again, but in the morn- 
ing, an hour after the departure of the emperor, who 
had left Czarsko-Selo at 6 o'clock, as I was walking 
in the park with M. de C, we saw in the grand avenue 
a lady very lightly dressed in spite of the coolness of 
the morning, with a veil thrown over her head. She 
was accompanied by a woman whom we did not 
recognize. M. de C. said, " It is the Empress Eliza- 
beth ! " 

" What an idea ! " I answered. " You know that 
she never walks in the park at this hour." 

I had hardly said these words when the lady com- 
ing toward us raised her veil, and I recognized the 
empress. She addressed us in a few friendly words, 
saying to M. de C. that she was charmed with having 
the opportunity to say good-bye to him, and expressed 
a kind regret that we could not prolong our stay at 
Czarsko-Selo. 

In speaking of the departure of the emperor she 
said : " The weather to-day is at least endurable ; 
yesterday the whole day it was too depressing." It 
was thought that the Empress Elizabeth had no 
longer any affection for Alexander. As for me I am 
persuaded to the contrary. Some words which es- 
caped her, the sound of her voice when she spoke of 
him, proved to me that I was not deceived. Then the 
death of Elizabeth has proved that she had not ceased 
to love him, since she could not survive him, and her 
one hope and desire was to rejoin him whom she 3 
mourned. 



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Historical Memoirs of the 



CHAPTER XXIX 

THIS last walk in the park at Czarsko-Selo was 
filled with sadness. Although the air was soft, 
the sky was overcast. This beautiful place which I 
never hoped to see again, seemed to have taken on 
a melancholy aspect since the departure of the em- 
peror. The signs of approaching autumn are always 
sad. Taking up a dead leaf which had just fallen, I 
recalled these lines of Delille : — 

" De moment en moment la feuille sur la terre 
Interrompt en tombant le reveur solitaire." 

I have always kept that leaf in my book of souvenirs. 
I was recalling with feelings of deepest gratitude the 
many proofs of interest and kindness which the Em- 
peror Alexander had shown me during the twelve 
years that I had known him. As he had said, neither 
time nor absence had changed his feelings. This 
good and great prince, who owed me nothing, to 
whom I was nothing, had made me taste the sweetness 
of his friendship. Invoking upon him all the bless- 
ings of heaven, I said to myself: "This angel, who 
knows so well how to sympathize in the sorrows of 
others (for there was never a family in affliction in 
,St. Petersburg where he did not appear with words of 
peace, consolation, and piety), this angel who made 
the happiness of all around him, is not happy him- 
self. He was a father and cannot mourn for his 
daughter ! — his daughter, the one hope of his old 

292 



Emp 



eror Alexander I. 



age, still remote, but which will overtake him one 
day." I was far from foreseeing that his career 
would be so short and that the end was so near, but 
I was involuntarily troubled by the sadness of his last 
farewell. 

The day of our departure from Czarsko-Selo, hav- 
ing asked the empress-mother for a farewell audi- 
ence, she commanded me with M. de C. to dinner at 
Pawlowsky. A few minutes before assembling at her 
Majesty's, I went to visit Princess Lieven, who had 
brought up the entire imperial family, whom she 
adored, and of whom we conversed all the time we 
were together. I dare say our hearts were entirely 
in unison at that time. 

I followed the princess to the drawing-room, and 
soon, in the circle where I was placed, her Majesty 
addressed me with words of kind reproach, saying it 
was very wrong of me to go away so soon. At din- 
ner, the empress complained of the weather, saying: 
" What an opinion Madame de Choiseul will have of 
our climate ! " If I had been near enough I would 
have taken the liberty of saying that, seeing the pro- 
fusion of beautiful fruits and flowers that decorated 
the table, it was difficult not to imagine one's self under 
the softest of skies. 

In leaving the table, her Majesty called M. de C. 
and me to her, and made us admire, through a large 
window of one pane of glass, a charming view of the 
park, which was laid out with great taste, and a cas- 
cade falling over artificial rocks, ornamented with 
ruins. The water which falls from the height of these 
rocks soon loses itself in a clear lake surrounded by 
a beautiful lawn, with groups of trees here and there, 

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Historical Memoirs of the 

between which vistas have been left showing the 
church and the villages. 

The empress said to M. de C. : " Your father was 
very fond of this room and this view; he used to 
come here very often in the time of his late Majesty, 
the Emperor Paul." She pronounced these last 
words in a sorrowful tone, repeating them twice. 
This worthy princess preserved a pious and tender 
remembrance of her unfortunate husband. Every 
year, on the anniversary of his death, she shut herself 
in the monument where the ashes of this monarch are 
preserved, there to pray and offer to God the sacrifice 
of her tears. 

Her Majesty then took the arm of Madame de 
Lieven, 1 and followed by the whole court passed into 
the library, which was in a newly constructed gallery, 
perfectly lighted and containing glass bookcases 
filled with the most beautiful editions. Upon a long 
mahogany table were a number of boxes and cases 
containing drawings. I noticed under the windows 
in glass-covered tables a collection of engraved stones, 
and knowing that her Majesty possessed the talent, so 
rare in her sex, of engraving on stone, I had a great 
desire (but I had not the courage) to ask if among the 
antique chefs-d'oeuvre there were no modern ones. 

1 Dorothea, Princess Lieven, a Russian lady of German extrac- 
tion, celebrated for her diplomatic talents. She was born in Riga, 
and she died in Paris, Jan. 27, 1857. Her father, Christoph von 
Bendendorff, was of humble extraction ; but his daughter received 
a brilliant education, and at an early age married Christoph Lieven, 
who was successively ambassador to Prussia, ambassador to London, 
and governor of the Czarowitz. She acquired great influence by her 
eminent social qualities and remarkable aptitude for public affairs. 
After 1837 she resided in Paris, where her salon was frequented by 
many diplomatists and statesmen. 

294 



Emperor Alexander I. 

The empress said that she was always pleased to 
show her library, which had just been fitted up. She 
told M. de C. that he would find there a work of his 
father's, the Voyage pittorcsque en Grhe, and then 
suddenly addressing me, and to my great confusion, 
she said that my two novels were there too, and that 
she was awaiting the third, which she had been told 
was commenced. I tried to excuse myself, but her 
Majesty insisted, laughing with me at the distin- 
guished honor which she said she accorded to my 
humble efforts. 

Her Majesty then made us admire a superb collec- 
tion of engravings of all kinds and some lithographs 
from Wiirtemberg so beautiful and well done that 
the empress made me acknowledge their superiority 
over the same process done in Paris. She showed 
us also English engravings colored with a finish and 
softness which approached the perfection of minia- 
ture painting. When the empress was about to retire 
to her private apartments, as we were making our 
most humble adieux, her Majesty said kindly that 
she trusted we would carry away an agreeable 
remembrance of Pawlowsky. I asked her Majesty to 
give me permission to visit the monuments of her 
beneficence at St. Petersburg. She deigned to con- 
sent and promised to have orders sent that I should 
be received at St. Catherine's and at the monastery 
of . 

The activity of this princess in employing her time 
is truly admirable. Except the hours which she 
devotes to the fine arts she is constantly busy in 
directing her benevolent institutions and in keeping 
herself informed of everything that concerns them. 

295 



Historical Memoirs of the 

Baroness Adalberg, the chief directress of the con- 
vent, who possesses the entire confidence of her 
Majesty, being ill, the empress went immediately to 
the convent and replaced her in all her duties until 
she recovered. 

I commenced by visiting the institute for the 
daughters of the nobility at St. Catherine's. The 
young girls, dressed elegantly but simply, some in 
brown, others in green, were in their classes, the 
masters and mistresses in their places ; they were 
questioned in turn in history, geography, the ele- 
ments of physics, rhetoric, and philosophy. I was 
very much amused on hearing a little girl of ten 
talk about Aristotle, and of the sublime. The method 
adopted to teach these young people to exercise 
their memories seemed to me to be excellent. All 
the examinations passed off marvellously. The use- 
ful occupations for women were not neglected. 
They showed me very beautiful needle-work done by 
the pupils. The dormitories and recreation rooms 
were scrupulously white and clean. I was present at 
the dinner, which was preceded by a prayer chanted 
by these pure young voices, giving thanks to God 
for his gifts. 

The convent of is much larger than that of 

St. Catherine. The number of pupils, who are both 
from noble and burgher families, rises as high as 
four hundred and sixty. Baroness Adalberg, al- 
though unwell, was so kind as to receive me and 
have the establishment shown me by an under- 
directress. I was too late to hear the examinations, 
but I had a glance at the classes. I passed through 
a corridor which serves as a promenade in winter. 

296 



Emperor Alexander I. 

It is a thousand steps long and is waxed. The 
buildings are handsome and well kept. From the 
windows there is a view of the Neva and the Summer 

Palace. 

While I was visiting the dormitories and the re- 
creation halls the pupils assembled in the dining- 
room. I was greatly struck by the sight of over four 
hundred young girls, all dressed alike, standing at the 
tables arranged in the form of a horseshoe in one 
immense vaulted hall. After grace all were seated, 
each class presided over by a mistress. 

Some of the dinner was brought me on a tray to 
taste. It consisted of a very good soup, small pas- 
ties, beef, and vegetables. As I passed along the 
tables the young ladies rose politely; I begged the 
directress to prevent them, but as I was leaving they 
all rose again and made a curtsey. I returned to 
Madam Adalberg to express my admiration, and she 
promised to carry my homage to her Majesty. 

These young people adore the empress as a pro- 
tecting deity. Her arrival is always a holiday at the 
convent. They throw themselves before her Majesty 
and press around her like children about their mother ; 
and so she is, occupying herself with all that can give 
them happiness in this world and in the next. I re- 
gretted very much not having time to visit another 
institution founded by the empress-mother for the 
poor daughters of soldiers. They learn there read- 
ing, writing, arithmetic, and the different employ- 
ments of their sex, and when their education is 
finished means are given them to establish them- 
selves in some occupation, or to marry, or they go 

out to service. 

297 



Historical Memoirs of the 

An endowment for the foundation of a hospital 
for invalid soldiers would be worthy of the grandeur 
and munificence of the sovereign of Russia, and of 
the military glory of so powerful an empire; unfor- 
tunately, the funds necessary for such an establish- 
ment have not yet been raised. 



298 



Emperor Alexander I. 



CHAPTER XXX 

TWO months had passed since I left St. Peters- 
burg. Alexander had returned to his capital, 
satisfied with his journey and happy to find himself 
again in the bosom of his family. At this time that 
great disaster, the inundation at St. Petersburg, oc- 
curred. The waters of the Neva, driven back by the 
waves of the sea and a strong wind, broke from their 
bed with such violence that in an instant a part of 
the city was inundated, before any one could prevent 
or arrest the overflow, or even hear, in the midst of 
the hurricane and the noise of the waters, the cannon 
which was fired from the fortress to warn the inhabi- 
tants to be on their guard. 

People were surprised in the midst of their occu- 
pations by an enemy which they were unable to re- 
sist; the laborer at his work, the merchant in his 
shop, and the sentinel at his post; a number of 
persons driving about the town on business became 
victims of the tempestuous flood. The first stories of 
the houses were submerged and in a few hours the 
water rose in some parts of the town to the height 
of seventeen feet. The court quarter, by its nearness 
to the river, was the most exposed, and the imperial 
yacht was ready to receive the emperor, who with 
the royal family had taken refuge in the most ele- 
vated part of the palace, where he was forced to con- 

299 



Historical Memoirs of the 

template the disasters of his people, whom he would 
have been willing to save at the expense of his own 
life. 

Row-boats traversed the streets of the city and 
picked up many unfortunates who were being 
drowned in trying to reach their homes. A senti- 
nel was carried in his sentry-box by the current as 
far as the Winter Palace. Seeing his sovereign at 
the window, the poor soldier, who even at the ap- 
proach of death could not be made to forget military 
discipline, presented arms. They succeeded in rescu- 
ing him. A funeral cross was transported by the 
force of the waters from a cemetery on the other side 
of the river and deposited opposite the palace. This 
was regarded by some as a fatal omen. 

As soon as the flood had abated, the emperor has- 
tened to visit the places devastated by the inundation, 
and to provide for the most pressing needs of the 
people, whose distress was extreme at first. Salt 
sold for twenty-five francs a pound. The wise meas- 
ures of the emperor, whose sympathies were not 
confined to the tears which the sight of this terrible 
disaster had drawn from him, soon restored order 
and tranquillity and effaced every trace of a mis- 
fortune as unexpected as it was terrible. 

I returned to France that same year before the 
coronation of Charles X. There I received letters 
from my mother telling me that Warsaw was again 
rejoicing in the presence of her sovereign. Alex- 
ander was so good as to go to see her, who thanked 
him for all the kindnesses which he had lavished 
upon me during my stay at St. Petersburg. The 

300 



Emperor Alexander I 

emperor kindly inquired if my health had not suf- 
fered from the climate. He spoke to her also of her 
grandson, and said that # the child was pretty, and that 
he had behaved very well during the christening. 

My mother took the opportunity to give his 
Majesty one of my letters to read, in which I related 
a very good answer of the child. Some one having 
asked him on his return to France, "Your godfather 
is very handsome, isn't he?" "And good," an- 
swered the child without hesitation. The emperor 
said he was too old to be handsome and the child's 
word was much better. 

In speaking to my mother of the Princess of 
Lowitch, the emperor said : " She is an angel, and has 
a character which one seldom finds. My brother is 
very fortunate." On the birthday of his Imperial 
Highness the Grand Duke Constantine, the emperor 
gave the princess the grand order of St. Catherine. 
He invested her in it himself and begged her to sur- 
prise her august spouse in that decoration. On the 
princess's birthday he presented her with a magnif- 
icent necklace of pearls. 

The emperor's health seemed as perfect as in his 
best years on this last journey to Warsaw, that is to 
say, in the month of June, 1825. He had never 
shown himself so gracious to the Poles. He seemed 
to want to outdo himself in kindness. He was satis- 
fied with everything he saw, the improvements of the 
town, the works undertaken by the government, and 
was astonished that with so little money they had 
established several manufactures, made a public 
road, etc. He praised, thanked, distributed bene- 

301 



Historical Memoirs of the 

fits, accorded favors, and inquired into the needs of 
every one. 

In passing through Lithuania the emperor stopped 
at Towiany, where he showed marked kindness to the 
Princess Constantine R. and her husband, who had 
become proprietors of that estate at the death of 
their aunt, whose loss the emperor seemed to feel 
very sensibly. He was also so kind as to remember 
having seen me at Towiany. 

The health of the Empress Elizabeth, which had 
for some time been delicate, decided that fatal jour- 
ney to Taganrog. It is difficult to understand how 
and why the physicians judged the climate of that 
town, situated on the sea-coast and exposed in winter 
to very cold winds, favorable for a disease of the 
lungs. Redoubling his solitude for a life which 
seemed to grow dear when it was menaced, the 
emperor accompanied his august spouse to Tagan- 
rog, and there, at the very extremity of their empire, 
inexorable death waited to strike with one blow its 
two august victims. 

Alexander, being reassured by a temporary ameli- 
oration in the health of the empress, undertook a 
journey to Palus-Meotides. Attacked by deep mel- 
ancholy, he spoke often of returning to Taganrog, 
whose situation had pleased him. He refused the 
treatment of his English physician Wylie, complain- 
ing only of frightful nervousness. Alas, it was the 
end ! He died for not having punished his rebel- 
lious and ungrateful subjects whose horrible designs 
he knew. While all about him reposed upon the 
faith of a fictitious tranquillity, ignoring the dangers 

302 



Emperor Alexander I, 

:hat menaced Russia and their sovereign, he suc- 
;umbed under the weight of that terrible mystery, in 
:he excess of his pain and the violence of his anguish 
etting only these words escape him : " Oh, the un- 
grateful monsters ; I wished only their welfare ! " 
^.fter his death a search was made among the 
Dapers of the emperor, and there the plot was dis- 
;overed. 

It was too late. The blow had been dealt. The 
perfidy of the conspirators and their mad ingratitude 
lad served them better, perhaps, than their parri- 
:idal dagger would have done. The rage of the 
assassins was disappointed. He was no more ! 
Glory, honor, power, grace, amiability, angelic good- 
ness, — death, merciless death had consumed them 
all, had destroyed all ! 

Alexander left life without a regret. Could he 
love it any longer? His last words — after attending 
to the duties of religion with a resignation inspired by 
true piety and a pure conscience — his last words, in 
asking to see the heaven which seemed already open- 
ing for him, show the calmness of his last moments. 
" What a beautiful day ! " said he when they had 
raised the window blinds. Yes, without doubt it was 
a beautiful day, as it was to bring him eternal happi- 
ness and immortal glory. But it was terrible for 
those who were condemned to survive him, for the 
unfortunate and unhappy Elizabeth, whose only hope, 
after having received the last sigh, the last look of 
her husband, was to follow him to the tomb and re- 
join him in heaven. She wrote : " Our angel is in 
heaven, and I — I vegetate still a little longer on the 

303 



Historical Memoirs of the 

earth ; but I have the hope to be soon reunited to 
him." 

This was heart-rending news for a mother, and only 
religious faith can help one to bear with fortitude 
such a loss and such a grief. The first letter of the 
Empress Elizabeth had been so reassuring, the poor 
mother, filled with confidence and joy, had gone on 
foot to church to offer thanks to the All-Powerful, who 
seemed at last to lend an ear to the petitions of fifty 
millions of people, who in their prayers had asked 
Him to give them back their sovereign, their father. 
All St. Petersburg, wild with joy at the arrival of the 
courier who brought the glad message, and retaining 
by heart each touching word of the beloved empress's 
letter, went in crowds to the churches. The Te Deum 
was not finished when the Grand Duke Nicholas re- 
ceived the last and fatal news. 

He returned, to the church, where every one was 
struck by the sudden change in his countenance. 
Not wishing or not being able to strike his mother's 
heart with such a terrible blow, he thought that relig- 
ion alone could soften its sharpness. Immediately 
the priest advanced toward the empress, bearing in 
trembling hands the crucifix covered with a black 
veil. By the slow and solemn step and by the univer- 
sal sign of grief, the unhappy mother knew what was 
in reserve for her, and like the divine Mother she fell 
at the foot of the cross. 

What a heart-rending scene ! The interior of the 
superb church of Kazan, glittering with gold and 
lights, the priest at the altar in his rich robes, whose 
every feature expressed a grief too deep for words ; 

3°4 



Emp 



eror Alexander I. 



that tender mother, showing in her countenance the 
sudden change from joy to sorrow ; the Grand Duke 
Nicholas divided between the feelings which over- 
whelmed him and his anxiety for his beloved mother; 
the croups of assistants whose faces expressed a mix- 
ture of doubt, hope, and fear; the mysterious light of 
the chapel blending with the melancholy brilliancy of 
the candles and lamps ; all this joyous service changed 
to a mournful sacrifice; — what a subject for another 
Raphael ! What material from which to create a 
masterpiece ! 

Europe learned at the same time of the illness and 
death of that generous prince who had given her 
peace and repose. There was mourning in every 
land. The nations were moved in learning that their 
friend and liberator was no more ; the courts put on 
true mourning. The Emperor of Austria, on hearing 
of the death of Alexander, his faithful ally, exclaimed 
in an emotion of deep grief which honored himself as 
much as him whose loss he deplored, " Alas, I have 
lost my best friend ! " Touching words in the mouth 
of a sovereign, and expressive of deep sorrow. 

At the Russian embassy in Paris they were prepar- 
ing for a festival in honor of the emperor's birth- 
day. It was changed to funeral honors. I will not 
attempt to describe what I felt at this overwhelming 
event. There are griefs which only religion can 
calm or assuage. I heard of it without preparation, 
by a letter which was sent me from Paris to the 
country, where we were staying. 

I had no sooner glanced at the letter than I gave a 
loud cry. M. de C, much astonished, asked me what 
20 305 



Historical Memoirs of the 

it was. Sobbing I told him, saying that it could not be 
true. He ran to the newspaper, which he had not yet 
opened, and came back with tears in his eyes. It 
was no longer possible to doubt our misfortune. 
Even my child felt it. M. de C-, placing his hand on 
the head of his son, said, " Poor child, he does not 
yet know what he has lost ! " My Alexander, lifting 
his head sadly, said, " I have lost my godfather." 

Each day confirmed the heart-rending news by more 
sinister details, details which filled the soul with indig- 
nation and horror. The opinion generally admitted, 
that that beautiful life had not been cut short by other 
hands than those of Providence, was my first conso- 
lation. Still I was constantly obliged to hear these 
sad words: " The Emperor Alexander died at Tag- 
anrog" and to see them written everywhere. They 
pursued me night and day: but my heart, my im- 
agination, everything in me refused even this evi- 
dence, and I saw him as I had seen him the last time, 
in all his goodness and gentleness. Instead of avoid- 
ing these sad details which the newspapers offered 
daily, I read them eagerly. I delighted in this 
universal mourning, in these heart-rending regrets 
which found an echo in my own heart. I loved to 
see my sadness shared by the inhabitants of Cham- 
pagne which Alexander had entered as conqueror. 
There was not one poor wine-grower in the environs 
of Epernay or Les Vertus, who did not exclaim when 
he heard of the death of Alexander, " Ah ! what a 
misfortune ! He saved France ! " A peasant said 
to me one day, " Alas ! madame, he was as good as 
he was handsome ! " 

306 



Emperor Alexander I. 

Russia and Poland were filled with grief and cov- 
ered with mourning. Woe be to those who did not 
carry it in their hearts, and eternal shame be upon 
those who dared deny the fidelity which they had 
sworn to Alexander ! 

But we will turn from these dark thoughts, and 
behold rather how the august heirs of the virtues and 
power of Alexander give a unique example to the 
world. Brothers have been seen, sword in hand, 
fighting over the bloody heritage of their father; but 
in the noble contest between Constantine and Nicho- 
las one sees only disinterestedness, greatness of soul, 
and generosity. It is well known that, regarding 
herself as an obstacle to the great destinies of her 
august husband, the Princess Lowitch threw herself 
at Constantine's feet and implored him to forget that 
she had ever existed, and to fulfil the destiny that 
awaited him by accepting the crown to which his 
birth entitled him. But Constantine was guided by 
his love for her, and the word he had given a dearly 
loved and venerated brother. 

Notwithstanding his virtuous resistance, Nicholas 
ascended this desolate throne, where such difficult 
emergencies were reserved for his wisdom. God has 
supported him in the midst of many difficulties ; may 
He sustain him always. If the Emperor Alexander 
has merited the surname of the Good, let us hope 
that his august follower, in imitation of that prince of 
immortal memory, in making his name and power 
respected, in preferring the love of his subjects to 
vainglory and renown, may receive one day from his 
:ontemporaries and from posterity the surname of 

3°7 



Memoirs of Alexander I. 

the Irreproachable, — a beautiful title, which not only- 
few sovereigns, but few men in private life have ever 
been able to merit. 

I have endeavored in this modest sketch to paint 
Alexander from life. I shall be only too happy if 
those who had the good fortune to know him, to 
approach him, to love him, and to be devoted to 
him, here recognize a few traits of this grand and 
beautiful model, so worthy of a better pen and greater 
talent. 



308 



Index 



Abdication, Pahlen proposes Paul's, 
31; Napoleon's, 172,204. 

Adalberg, Baroness, 296. 

Admiralty, The, St. Petersburg, 262. 

Agriculture, fostered by Alexander, 
47, 274. 

Alexander I., Emperor of Russia ; 
friendship for the author, vi; sacri- 
fices Russian interests by Treaty of 
Tilsit, vi, 60 ; kept constantly be- 
fore us, xii; in front rank of celeb- 
rities, xiii ; conduct of, at time of 
assassination of Paul, xiii, 31 ; tragic 
death veiled by the author, xiii; im- 
perfect view of, xv ; birth of, 23 ; 
La Harpe tutor of, 24 ; loved to 
study, 25 ; solicitude of Catherine II. 
for, 25 ; love for his bride, 26 ; in- 
fluence over Paul, 27 ; besought by 
Pahlen to accept regency, 34-37 ; 
warned by Princess Gazarin, 38 ; 
horror at the deed of the conspira- 
tors, 44 ; trying position at first as 
czar, 43 ; acts of justice mark acces- 
sion to the throne, 46 ; love of mili- 
tary details, 47 ; reply to Mme. de 
Stael, 4S ; genius of, and destiny of, 
4S ; example of the sympathy of, 
49; first visit to Vilna, 49; his cus- 
toms when travelling, 50 ; war made 
not for conquest, 51; sends Markoff 
to Paris, 52; demands reparation 
for murder of D'Enghien, 53 ap- 
points Kotousoff to command of 
troops, 53 ; arrival at Czartoryski's, 
55 ; declines order of St. George, 56 ; 
refuses to ratify treaty made by 
Oubril, 56; befriends Queen Louisa, 
56 ; interview with Bonaparte 5S ; 
receives King and Queen of Prussia 

309 



at his Court, 60-62 ; Mme. Narish- 
kin and, 61; Napoleon seeks a 
second interview with, 62, 63 ; re- 
nounces the Continental System, 
64 ; second visit to Vilna, 66 ; termi- 
nates conquest of Finland, 66 ; daily 
routine of, 68; visits Count Mori- 
coni, 6S ; gallantry of, 71, jt,; arrival 
at Towiany, y^ > praises attainments 
of the Poles, 76; departure from 
Towiany, 80; reverence for holy 
things, 82; personal description of, 
S2; portrait of, by Gerard, 83, 138; 
bust of, by Thorwaldsen, 83; re- 
ceives Count Narbonne, S4; ap- 
points the author lady of honor, 86; 
calls on the author at Vilna, Sy ; 
purchases Zakret, 88 ; comments on 
European affairs, 89 ; remark of, 
misinterpreted by the Poles, 90 ; at 
ball at Zakret, 92 ; learns that the 
French had crossed the Niemen, 
94; leaves Vilna, 94; rejects pro- 
posal to devastate Lithuania, 97 ; 
sends Balacheff to Napoleon, 102; 
criticism of, by Napoleon, 104; cor- 
dial reception at Warsaw, 113 ; en- 
trusts command of the army to De 
Tolly, 114; goes to St. Peters- 
burg, 114; tactics of, criticised by 
Napoleon, 115; forbids imperial 
family to leave the Capital, 116; 
returns to Vilna, 131 ; exonerates the 
Lithuanians, 132, 143; outlines his 
war policy, 133; criticises Napo- 
leon's treatment of his courtiers, 
136 ; appreciation of Voltaire, 139 ; 
astonishment at rashness of French 
invasion, 139 ; fidelity of Ilia to, 
142 ; decorates Kotousoff, 144; visits 
hospitals at Vilna, 146; anxious to 



Index 



hasten end of the war, 149; praises 
character of Moreau, 149 ; Talley- 
rand and, at Erfurt, 150 ; commends 
conduct of Oudinot, 152; mentions 
defects in modern education, 152; 
Madame Kriidener and, 152; re- 
jects all reports derogatory to his 
subjects, 154; protects the estate of 
the author's father, 159; conduct 
of, in the German campaign, 161 ; 
proclamation to his troops on enter- 
ing France, 163 ; induces the allies 
to march upon Paris, 164; receives 
the aldermen of Paris, 166 ; enters 
Paris, 166 ; receives a deputation 
from the French Senate, 168 ; 
gives assurances of his friendship 
for France, 169 ; declares the French 
soldiers free, 1 70 ; friendship for Jo- 
sephine, 171 ; the guest of Talley- 
rand, 171 ; insists with the allies on 
favorable terms for Napoleon, 1 72 ; 
compels France to pay Lithuanian 
soldiers, 174; grants an audience to 
the French Institute, 174; visits 
the Hotel des Invalides, 175; re- 
sponds to address by Chaptal, 176; 
receives a medal, 177; visits the 
Institution of itcouen, 177; honors 
the memory of La Harpe, 177; bust 
of, made by French artists, 178; 
visits Louis XVIII., 179; visits 
England, 181 ; honored by Oxford, 
183; visits Blenheim, 184; visits 
Saardam, 184; joins the empress, 
184; letter to Wiazmintoff, 184; 
incidents of his journey homewards, 
1S5 ; declines title of Blessed, 189; 
takes steps to advance the welfare 
of Russia, 190 ; journey to Vienna, 
193 ; declared King of Poland, 196 ; 
letter to Ostrowski, 196 ; aware of 
Talleyrand's duplicity, 199 ; reluc- 
tant to again go to war for France, 
200 ; delays his return to Paris, 201 ; 
addresses his troops, 201 ; welcomed 
by the inhabitants of Champagne, 
202; advice ignored and works of 
art dispersed, 203 ; encourages emi- 
gration to the Crimea, 203 ; crowned 
King of Poland, 206; gives Poland 



a new Constitution, 207 ; festivities 
at Warsaw, 209; arrives at Vilna, 
211; difficulties placed in his way 
at Vienna, 212; compares Paris 
and London, 213 ; arrives at Tow- 
iany, 215; prediction concerning 
Napoleon, 216; his acts of disci- 
pline, 220 ; returns to Warsaw, 221 ; 
commends the Polish army, 235-; 
solicitude for the author's future, 
236 ; virtuous conduct assures a 
noble career, 237; habits of indus- 
try of, 238; consents to the author's 
marriage, 239; letter of congratula- 
tion to the author, 240; opinion of 
the liberal party in France, 243; 
writes a letter in the author's be- 
half, 247; fails to champion Greece, 
249; lack of enthusiasm for, at 
Vilna, 249; calls on the author, 
249-256; discusses French politics, 
251 ; retains his youthful appearance, 
255; attends the Congress of Ve- 
rona, 256 ; falls dangerously ill, 259 ; 
returns to Czarsko-Selo, 263 ; greets 
the author, 269 ; insists on being 
her host, 270; agricultural tastes 
of, 274 ; habit of life at Czarsko- 
Selo, 276 ; is godfather to the 
author's son, 282 ; solicitude for the 
health of Louis XVIII., 283 ; starts 
for the Ural Mountains, 284 ; death 
of his daughter, 289 ; silent suffer- 
ings of, 292 ; returns to St. Peters- 
burg, 299; again visits Warsaw, 
300; satisfaction with Poland, 301; 
death at Taganrog, 302; grief of 
the Emperor of Austria at the 
death of, 305 ; author's tribute to, 
306 ; popularity of, in France, 
306. 

Alexander, Palace of, 270. 

Alexandra, Grand Duchess, 279. 

Alexis Petrowitz, foot-note on, 35. 

Anecdotes : Empress Catherine and 
the German princes, 26 ; M. Choi- 
seul and Pahlen, 28; Paul and 
Pahlen, 32 ; Mme. de Stael and 
Alexander, 48 ; burghers of Vilna 
and Alexander, 49 ; Mr. Theodore 
and Alexander, 50, 51; Alexander 
IO 



Index 



at Austerlitz, 54 ; Alexander at 
Czartoryski's, 55 ; Alexander and 
Napoleon, 5S ; Alexander at Willa- 
now, 70 ; Tolstoi and Alexander, 
74 ; Napoleon and Caulincourt, 119 ; 
Alexander and Ilia, 142 ; Alexander 
and the Spanish prisoners, 147 ; 
Alexander and a soldier, 14S ; Alex- 
ander and a petitioner, 1S5-1S7 ; 
Alexander and Mme. de Radzivil, 
226, 231. 

Angouleme, Due d', foot-note on, 
25S. 

Arnault, literary genius of, 160. 

Armfeldt, Gustav M., Commander of 
Finland, 71. 

Armidowska, name given Mme. de 
Radzivil, 226. 

Army, Austrian at Dresden, 161. 

Army, French, victorious at Jena, 
56 ; held in check by Bennigsen, 56 ; 
occupies Warsaw, 57; crosses the 
Niemen, 94 ; enters Vilna, 96 ; com- 
position of, 97 ; behavior of, 98, 
109; apparent destination of, 116 . 
recruits from Lithuania, 117; dis- 
order of, on retreat, 120; suffering 
of, 122, 126 ; declared to be free, 
170; absence of discipline in, 212. 

Army, Russian, alienated by Paul, 27; 
hails Alexander as czar, 43 ; con- 
spiracy had stronghold in, 45 ; im- 
proved spirit of, 46; owes its fine 
bearing to Alexander, 47 ; under 
Bennigsen checks French advance, 
56 ; assembles in Lithuania, 66 ; 
evacuates Vilna, 94, 96 ; retakes 
Vilna, 123; occupies Warsaw, 159; 
vigorous discipline in the, 173; 
assemble at Les Vertus, 201. 

Art and literature render homage to 
Alexander, 46. 

Artois, Count of, see Charles X. 

Austerlitz, lost by non-arrival of Ben- 
nigsen, 54. 

Austria, declares war against France, 
53 ; Talleyrand makes treaty with, 
199. 

Austria, Emperor of, criticised by Na- 
poleon, 105; birthday of, 195; con- 
gratulates Alexander on Russian 

3 1 



army, 202; grief at death of Alex- 
ander, 305. 

B. 

Baden, D'Enghien murdered in, 53. 

Balacheff, General, sent by Alexander 
to Napoleon, 102, 132. 

Barthelemy, Marie, foot-note on, 252. 

Bassano, Duke of, see Maret. 

Beauharnais, Eugene de, Alexander's 
interest in, 171. 

Bennigsen, Count Levin, respectfully 
opposes Empress Marie, 41 ; urges 
homage be paid to Alexander, 42 ; 
prevails on Alexander to ascend the 
throne, 43 ; responsibility for loss 
of Austerlitz, 54 ; checks the French 
advance, 56 ; sells Zakret to the 
emperor, 88. 

Bennigsen, Mme., 93. 

Berlin, captured by the French, 56 ; 
Nicholas's wedding at, 206. 

Bernadotte, Marshal, friendly rela- 
tions with Alexander, 66 ; advises 
Alexander not to give Napoleon 
battle, 114. 

Berri, Due de, tragic death of, 243. 

Berri, Duchesse de, courage of, 243. 

Blenheim, visited by Alexander, 184. 

Bonaparte, Prince Jerome, suggested 
for King of Poland, 100; mistakes 
made by, harass Napoleon, 100. 

Bonaparte, Lucien, 149. 

Borgo, Carlo di, foot-note on, 197. 

Bourbons, Napoleon's duty to the, 51; 
dispersed by Napoleon, 199; Alex- 
ander marches to the relief of, 200. 

C. 

Cambyses, Napoleon compared to, 
1 18. 

Castelbajac, Viscount de, see Bar- 
thelemy. 

Catherine II., Alexander's affection 
for, 23 ; strong will of, 24 ; solici- 
tude for Alexander, 25 ; Zouboff a 
favorite of, 30; effects of prodigal 
generosity of, 47 ; sends Markoff to 
Turkey, 52; lack of interest in pub- 
lic affairs during reign of, 133. 



Ind 



ex 



Catherine, Grand Duchess, asked in 
marriage by Napoleon, 63; visits 
London, 182 ; visits Oxford, 183 ; 
visits Vienna, 195. 

Caulincourt, serves Napoleon, no; 
returns with Napoleon to Paris, 119 ; 
attentions demanded by Napoleon of, 

136. 

Cayla, Countess of, favorite of Louis 
XVIIL, 254. 

Champagne, inhabitants of, welcome 
Alexander, 202 ; grief for the death 
of, 306. 

Chapelle, Antoine, foot-note on, 121. 

Chaptal, M., delivers address to Alex- 
ander, 176. 

Charles, Archduke, absence of army 
of, at Austerlitz, 53. 

Charles X. arrives in Paris, 178 ; es- 
teemed by Alexander, 243. 

Charles XII., Napoleon refers to, 115. 

Chateaubriand, M. de ; his appreciation 
of Alexander, 256; retirement of, 
281. 

Choiseul-Gouffier, Comte, sketch of 
the life of, vii; banished from St. 
Petersburg, 28 ; ' Empress Marie's 
remembrance of, 294, 295. 

Choiseul-Gouffier, M. de, marriage 
with the author, vii ; interview with 
Pahlen, 28 ; asks imperial consent 
to his marriage, 239 ; detained in 
France by his duties, 250; visits St 
Petersburg, 260; obtains an audi- 
ence with Alexander, 281. 

Choiseul-Gouffier, Comtesse, early life 
of, v ; meets the czar, vi, 69 ; mar- 
riage of, vii ; history of her book, viii, 
ix; a Polish author, xii; compared 
to M. de La Cases, xii; book of, 
popular, xiii; grief at death of 
Alexander, xv, 305 ; personal recol- 
lections of Alexander begin, 67; 
offended with him, 67 ; reason for 
writing her memoirs, 81 ; descrip- 
tion of the emperor, 82; appointed 
lady of honor, 86 ; attends a grand 
service of the Greek Church, 86 ; 
receives a message from Tolstoi, 
87; receives the emperor at Vilna, 
87, 131-142, 147-156, 211-214, 

31 



249; courtesies to the author at 

Zakret, 93 ; distressed by the French, 
99; dislike of the French army, 
101 ; presented to Napoleon, 107 ; 
describes Napoleon's appearance, 
109, 135 ; meets him near Zakret, 
112; remains in Vilna after family 
join the French army, 123 ; applies 
to Czaplic for protection, 123 ; con- 
duct of, praised, 124 ; rumored flight 
of, 124 ; experiences with the French 
refugees, 127; hatred of Napoleon, 
130 ; joy at arrival of Alexander, 131 ; 
attends ball at Kotousoff's, 143; 
sends letter by him to her father, 145 ; 
threatened confiscation of estates of, 
150; intrusts letter to her father to 
Tolstoi, 155 ; appeals to Alexander 
to protect her estates, 155 ; departs 
for the country, 158; receives order 
from Alexander protecting estates, 
159; prayer offered in Alexander's 
behalf, 205 ; anxiety for his safety, 
210 ; begins her journal, 213 ; goes to 
Towiany, 215 ; indisposition of, 
218 ; visits Warsaw, 221, 242 ; in- 
terview with Alexander, 222, 223- 
228 ; guest of M. de Novosiltzoff, 
230 ; meets Alexander at Potocki's 
233 ; receives him, 235 ; solicits a 
place for Gunther, 236 ; marriage 
of, decided upon, 239 ; receives a 
letter of congratulation from Alex- 
ander, 240 ; desires an official posi- 
tion for her husband, 241 ; asks 
emperor's aid, 246 ; hopes for 
Greece, 248 ; arrangements for bap- 
tism of her son, 250 ; rapid journey 
from Paris to Vilna, 255 ; visits St. 
Petersburg, 260; goes to Czarsko- 
Selo, 267 ; sad reflections of, 268 ; 
unexpected meeting with Alexander, 
269 ; accepts his hospitality, 270 ; 
presents her son to him, 272 ; 
opinion of Parisian society, 273 ; 
meets Empress Elizabeth, 277; 
meets the Empress Marie, 279; 
description of imperial yacht, 281 ; 
baptism of her son, 282; accounts 
for emperor's sadness, 289; fare- 
well audience with Empress Eliza- 



Index 



beth, 290; parting gift from Alex- 
ander, 290 ; accidental meeting with 
the Empress, 291 ; sympathy for 
Alexander, 292 ; farewell audience 
with Empress Marie, 293 ; visits her 
benevolent institutions, 296, 297 ; 
returns to Paris, 300 ; tribute to 
Alexander, 306, 307. 

Clarence, Duke of, 181. 

Commerce protected by Alexander, 47. 

Conde, Princesse de, and Henri IV., 
62. 

Conde, Prince de, foot-note on, 179. 

Congress of Vienna, attitude on learn- 
ing of Napoleon's escape from Elba, 
xiii ; sessions of, 195. 

Congress of Verona, 256. 

Conspiracy, against Paul, 29-41 ; 
revealed by anonymous letter, 32 ; 
success of, 41 ; against Alexander, 
210, 302, 303. 

Conspirators, fear Alexander's wrath, 
43; exiled to the provinces, 44. 

Constant, Benjamin, 252. 

Constant, "Private Life of Napo- 
leon," quoted, 115, 135. 

Constantine, Grand Duke, suspicion 
of Paul against, 33 ; urges Alex- 
ander to become emperor, 42 ; pre- 
sented to Napoleon, 58 ; occupies 
Comte Tisenhaus's house, 67; en- 
ters Paris, 166; at Warsaw, 223; 
marriage of, 245 ; at Vilna, 256 ; 
country residence of, 260 ; Alex- 
ander decorates his wife, 301 ; de- 
clines the succession, 307. 

Constituiionnel, influence of the, 273. 

Continental system, enforced by Na- 
poleon, 60 ; renounced by Alexan- 
der, 64 ; effects on Russia, 65. 

Convent of , 296. 

Cossacks, approach Vilna, 118; enter 
Vilna, 123 ; pillagings of, 12S ; com- 
pelled to disgorge, 129. 

Cotchubey, Count, 86. 

Coucy, Eugenie de, foot-note on, 
11S. 

Country residences, near St. Peters- 
burg, beauty of, 260. 

Czaplic, General, first Russian to re- 
enter Vilna, 123. 

31 



Czarsko-S61o, Alexander's illness at, 
259 ; author arrives at, 267 ; de- 
scription of park of, 274. 

Czartoryska, Princess Isabella, foot- 
note on, 193. 

Czartoryski, Prince Constantine, 55. 

Czernischeff, M,, aide-de-camp to 
Alexander, 71 ; visits Louis X VIII. 
with him, 179. 

D. 

D'Alemeert, 138. 

datcka, 260, 261. 

David, portrait of Napoleon by, 109. 

Davoust, Louis, foot-note on, 101. 

Decazes, M., influence on Louis 

XVIII., 243. 
Declaration of war by Austria and 

Russia against France, 53. 
Delitte, quoted, 292. 
De Stael, Mine, see Stael, Mme. de. 
Diderot, 138. 

Dumas, M., quotes this work, viii. 
Duplessis, Armand, note on, 121 ; 

Alexander's appreciation of, 251. 

E. 

Education, defects of modern, 152. 

Ekaterinoslaf Garden, 263. 

Elba, Island of, escape of Napoleon 
from, xiii, 19S ; his banishment to, 
172. 

Elizabeth of Baden chosen to be Grand 
Duchess, 26; suffers from Alex- 
ander's infidelity, 61 ; meets him at 
Brussels, 184 ; life at Czarsko-Selo, 
276, 27S; author's interview with, 
277 ; opinion of Walter Scott's 
novels, 277 ; kindness to the Emper- 
or's daughter, 289; author's fare- 
well audience with, 290 ; affection 
for Alexander, 291 ; goes to Tagan- 
rog, 302 ; grief at Alexander's 
death, 303. 

Emigrant, Napoleon's interview with 
a French, 103. 

Enghien, Due d', murder of, 53. 

England, Alexander sends Markoff 
to maintain friendly relations with, 
52 ; broke treaty of Amiens, 52 ; 



Index 



Napoleon enforces the Continental 
System against, 60; not dependent 
upon European commerce for pros- 
perity, 65 ; welcomes the sovereign 
allies, 181 ; policy of, toward Portu- 
gal, 286. 

English carriages in Russia, 261. 

Equestrians, Tower of the, 271 ; au- 
thor visits, 284. 

Erfurt, Napoleon and Alexander at, 

Eugene, Prince, see Beauharnais. 

Europe, admiration of, for Russian 
army, 47; danger of war to pros- 
perity of, 52, 151; shocked by 
D'Enghien's murder, 53. 

Exiles, increased number of, 27. 



Ferronnays, Count ; foot-note on, 
241 ; appointed ambassador to Rus- 
sia, 242. 

Finances (Russian), put in order by 
Alexander, 47. 

Finland, conquest of, by Alexander, 66. 

Fitz-James, Due de, foot-note on, 257. 

Fontanges, Mile, de, and Louis XIV., 
62. 

Foy, Maximilian, foot-note on, 252. 

France, young France satisfied with 
author's concessions xiii ; rescued 
from revolution by Napoleon, 51; 
Alexander's desire to maintain 
friendly relations with, 52; allies' ef- 
forts to correct false reports in, 150 ; 
misinformed by Napoleon's bulle- 
tins, 151 ; boundaries of, unchanged, 
202 ; Alexander speaks of, 212 ; 
anxiety in, for Spain, 249 ; Due de 
Richelieu's services in behalf of, 
251; anxiety in, by Alexander's 
attitude to Spain, 257. 

Frank, Mme. 74. 

French revolution, long convalescence 
from, xi. 

French prisoners, transportation of, 
57 ; ravaged by the Jews, 126. 

French secrecy regarding their mili- 
tary preparations, 66; policy in re- 
gard to, 118. 

31 



French artists honor Alexander, 178. 

French at Vilna celebrate entrance into 
Moscow, 118; hail Alexander as 
their Henri IV., 171. 

French language, spoken with ele- 
gance by Alexander, 25, 149; for- 
gotten by the French, 149. 

French honor protected by Louis 
XVIII., 2S 8. 

Friedland, battle of, 58. 

G. 

Gagarin, Princess, Paul's friendship 
for, 27 ; warns Alexander, 38. 

Genlis, Mme. de, 153. 

Genoa, la super ba, 128. 

George III., regency for, 36. 

Gerard, portrait of Alexander by, 83. 

German princesses brought to St. 
Petersburg, 26. 

Germany, Markoff fails in, 52. 

Ghent, Louis XVIII. retires to, 199. 

Giedroyc, Mile., appointed lady of 
honor, 86. 

Goscinny-Devor, description of, 263. 

Grabowska, Mile., presented to Alex- 
ander, 69 ; appointed lady of honor, 
86. 

Greek, in defence, hopes for, 248. 

Grodno, 50. 

H. 

Harpe, Colonel La, see La Harpe. 

Henri IV., and the Princesse de 
Cond6, 62 ; dress of, adopted by 
Murat, 136 ; Alexander compared 
to, 225. 

Henriade, 138. 

Historical Memoirs, history of these, 
viii ; popularity of, xi ; " show his- 
tory en deshabille " xi ; interest in, 
compared to novels by Scott, 81. 

Hogendorp, Count, foot-note on, 119. 

Hotel des Invalides, visited by Alex- 
ander, 275. 

Houchka, gift for, 50. 

I. 

Ilia, Alexander's favorite coachman, 
141. 

4 



Index 



Jablonowska, Princess, gives a 
ball for Alexander, 17S. 

Jacobin party in France, in. 

James II., reception by Louis XIV., 
60. 

Jena, battle of, 56. 

Jerome, Prince, see Bonaparte, Prince 
JeVome. 

Jersey, Countess of, foot-note on, 
1S4. 

Jesuits, expelled by Alexander's or- 
der, 220. 

Jews, ravage the French soldiers, 126; 
conduct of, commended by Alex- 
ander, 140. 

Jomini, Baron Henri, foot-note on, 97. 

Josephine, Napoleon divorces, 63 ; 
Mile. Giedroyc, lady in waiting to, 
86; befriended by Alexander, 171. 

Jumilhac, General, see Chapelle. 

K. 

Kameney-Ostroff, 265. 

Kant, philosophy of, 139. 

Kazan, St. Mary of, 129; author de- 
scribes, 263; service at, for Alex- 
ander's health, 304. 

Kicki, Senator, welcomes Alexander 
to Warsaw, 193. 

Korsakoff, Rymsky, 57; reassures 
Comte Tisenhaus, 95. 

Kotousoff, Michael L. G., appointed 
to command of Russian troops, 53 ; 
concludes treaty with Turks, 66 ; 
appointed to command against Na- 
poleon, 117; enters Vilna, 124; 
made Prince of Smolensk, 124; 
gives ball to Alexander, 143 ; deco- 
rated by him, 144; forwards au- 
thor's letter to her father, 145 ; 
depreciates possibility of attacks on 
person of Alexander, 156 ; sketch 
of life of, 159. 

Kourakin, Prince, 189. 

Koutaisoff, favorite of Paul, 30. 

Krestofsky, island of, 266. 

Kriidener, Baroness, foot-note on, 



L. 

Lacretelle, Pierre de, foot-note on, 

i75- 

La Fontaine, quoted, 127. 

La Harpe, Colonel, preceptor to Alex- 
ander, 24 ; influence on the policy of 
Alexander, 47 ; criticism of, by Na- 
poleon, 104 ; memory honored by 
Alexander, 177. 

Lamartine, quotes this work, viii. 

Las Cases, M. de, compared with the 
author, xii. 

Lauriston, Kotousoff's negotiations 
with, 160. 

Leipzig, battle of, 162. 

Lievin, Princess, 293 ; foot-note on, 
294. 

Ligne, Prince Charles, foot-note on, 
196; name given Mme. de Radzivil 
by, 226. 

Lithuania, influence of, on the author, 
xii ; estates of Choiseul-Gouffier 
in, 28 ; entrance of the French 
army into, checked by Bennigsen, 
58 ; recruits from, join French army, 

"7- 

Lithuanians ignorant of Napoleon's 
approach, 90; despoiled by his 
army, 99 ; reproved by the French, 
99; forgiven by Alexander, 143; 
continue to trust the French, 159; 
return to the service of Alexander, 
173 ; he insists that France pay for 
their services, 174. 

Litta, Comtesse de, foot-note on, 239. 

Lockman, M., baptizes the author's 
son, 2S2. 

London, welcomes Alexander, 181; 
his preference for, 213. 

Lopacinska, Countess, see Moriconi, 
Doroth£e. 

Louis XIV., hospitality to James II., 
60; friendship for Montespan and 
Fontanges, 62 ; gallantry of, com- 
pared with Alexander's, 71. 

Louis XVI., rewards for promoters 
of the death of, 46; disloyalty of 
Narbonne to, 84. 

Louis XVIH., declared to be king 
170; returns to France, 179; re- 

l 5 



Index 



tires to Ghent, 199 ; sends Talley- 
rand to Vienna, 199 ; influence of 
Decazes over, 243 ; friendship for 
Countess of Cayla, 254 ; sends 
army to Spain, 259; malady of, 
283. 

Louis, Prince of Prussia, killed in 
battle of Jena, 56. 

Louisa, Queen of Prussia, flight from 
Berlin, 56; received at St. Peters- 
burg by Alexander, 60. 

Lowiez, Princess, 235. 

Lowitch, Princess, Alexander praises, 
300; urges Constantine to succeed 
Alexander, 307. 

M. 

Malet, Claude de, conspiracy of, 
151. 

Malta, Commander of, Count Mori- 
coni, 69. 

Maret, Hugues, foot-note on, 105 ; per- 
suades Count P. to give a ball to 
Napoleon, no; speaks of recruits 
from Lithuania, 117; expected a 
speedy peace, 117; calls on Napo- 
leon, 119. 

Marie Feodorovna, Empress, foot-note 
on, 33 ; aroused by attack on Paul, 
41 ; urges Alexander to succeed 
his father, 43 ; refuses to accede to 
Napoleon's views for Catherine, 64; 
commanded by Alexander to remain 
at St. Petersburg, 116; author meets, 
279 ; influence of institutions founded 
by, 28 7; receives the author, 293; 
literary and artistic interests of, 295 ; 
learns of Alexander's death, 304. 

Marie Louise, Archduchess, marriage 
to Napoleon, 64; lack of courage of 
164; compared to Maria Theresa, 
164; flight from Paris, 165. 

Maria Theresa, 164. 

Markoff, Count, mission to France, 52. 

Marmont, Marshal, capitulation before 
Paris, 165. 

Massalski, Prince Ignace, foot-note on, 
89. 

Memel, Queen Louisa's flight to, 56. 

Memoirs of the author, written in 

3 1 



French by a Pole, xii; unique 
quality of, xii ; source for facts 
hitherto unknown, xiii. 

Michaelovski, Palace of, conspirators 
resort to, 38. 

Michel, Grand Duke, Marriage of, 259. 

Michel, Grand Duchess, author pre- 
sented to, 280. 

Miendsirzecz, Alexander's arrival at, 

55- 

Minsk, captured by Russians, 118. 

Mitford, Lord, policy of, as viewed by 
Markoff, 52. 

Montespan, Mme. de, and Louis 
XIV., 62. 

Montmorency, M. de, attachment for 
Alexander, 256. 

Moreau, character of, admired by 
Alexander, 149 ; shot near Dresden, 
161. 

Moriconi, Count, receives Alexander. 
68. 

Moriconi, Countess, 69; proposed 
visit of Alexander to, 72. 

Moriconi, Mme. de, presents author 
to Alexander, 69. 

Moriconi, Dorothee, presented to 
Alexander, 69; appointed lady of 
honor, 86; mention of, 256. 

Moscow, obstacle to Napoleon's am- 
bition, 64 ; Alexander arrives at, 113 ; 
capture of, promised peace, 117; 
French at Vilna celebrate entrance 
to, 118; Napoleon's habits at, 129, 
130. 

Moskowa, battle of, 117. 

Mozhaish, battle of, 117, Napoleon's 
remark after battle of, 120. 

Murat, Joachim, presented to Alex- 
ander, 58; Napoleon rejects advice 
of, 115; proposed as commander of 
French army on retreat, 123; im- 
pression made by, 135. 



N. 

Naples, King of, see Murat. 

Naples, Mardi-Gras at, 119. 

Napoleon, Poles' reliance upon, v, 57; 
policy towards England, vi, 60 ; Las 
Cases' panegyric on, xii; escape from 

6 



Inde:? 



ex 



Elba, xiii, 198; influence of pres- 
tige of, on Alexander, 5 1 ; asks 
Markoff's recall, 52; responsibility 
for murder of D'Enghien, 53 ; suc- 
cesses in war against Austria and 
Russia, 53; concern for personal 
safety of Alexander at Austerlitz, 
54 ; held in check by Bennigsen, 
56; interview with Alexander, 58; 
turns his eyes toward Spain, 60 ; 
meets Alexander at Erfurt, 63 ; 
asks Grand Duchess Catherine in 
marriage, 63 ; divorces Josephine, 
63; marriage with Marie Louise, 
64 ; his policy inferior to Eng- 
land's, 65 ; sends Narbonne to 
Alexander, 84; near the Niemen, 
90; order of the day after crossing, 
it, 9S; furious because of Turkey's 
treaty with Russia, 100; guarded 
promises to the Poles, 100 ; consents 
to receive Balacheff, 102; interviews 
a French emigrant, 103; condemns 
La Harpe for Alexander's ideas, 104; 
criticism of Poles, 105; presenta- 
tion of ladies of Vilna to, 106; 
questions the author, 107; rudeness 
to member of University of Vilna 
10S; at the ball at Vilna, no; quits 
Vilna, 114; decision to leave Mos- 
cow made public, 1 iS ; compared to 
Cambyses, 118; passes near Vilna, 
119; entertainments at Moscow 
for, 129; charged with trifling with 
Polish hopes, 132; badly served 
by his aids, 14S; son of, 150; attack 
of the Austrians renders his position 
critical, 161 ; extorts new sacrifices 
from France, 164; persists in fight- 
ing, 164; abdication of, 170; cause 
of, championed by Alexander, 172; 
banished to Elba, 172 ; re-enters 
Paris, 19S; not a disciplinarian, 212. 

Napoleon, Code of, basis of Poland's 
constitution, 207. 

Narbonne, Count, calls on Alexander 
at Vilna, 84 ; Alexander frustrates 
plan of, to communicate with Poles, 
85 ; admiration of, for Alexander, 
86; opinion of possible King of Po- 
land, 100; lack of tact at Vienna, 161. 

3 



Narishkin, Madame, foot-note on, 61 ; 
death of daughter of, 289. 

National Credit (Russian), re-estab- 
lished by Alexander, 47. 

National Guard, at Paris, attitude of, 
164. 

Nesselrode, Count, farewell visit to 
Narbonne, 86. 

Neva, author's impression of, 262; 
flood of, 299. 

Nicholas, Grand Duke, marriage of, 
206; learns of Alexander's death, 
304; prevailed upon, to ascend the 
throne, 307; author's desire for, 

3°7- 

Nicholas, Grand Duchess, author 
presented to, 280. 

Niemen, beautiful views of the, 74; 
approach of, by Napoleon, 90. 

Novosiltzoff, Baron N. de, foot-note 
on 194. 

Novosiltzoff, M. de, and Alexander, 
227. 

O. 

CEdipus, quoted, 63. 

Oginiski, Michel, foot-note on, 117; 
received by Alexander, 208. 

Ojarowski, General, aide-de-camp of 
Alexander's, 268. 

Oldenburg, Duke of, death of, 146. 

Orloff, Countess, entertains Alex- 
ander, 113. 

Ostrowski, Count Jean, note on, 196. 

Oubril, replaces Markoff at Paris, 53; 
makes a treaty disadvantageous to 
Russia, 56. 

Oudinot, Marshal, conduct at Smo- 
lensk commended, 152. 



Paesiello, Giovanni, 129. 

Pahlen, Pierre de, opinion of his re- 
sponsibility for Paul's death, x ; 
interview with M. Choiseul, 2S ; 
foot-note on, 29; Paul favors, 29; 
bad character of, 29 ; plots downfall 
of Paul, 29-41; reassures Paul, 32, 
warns the conspirators, 34 ; inter- 
views Alexander, 34-37 ; changes 
guards at the palace, 38 ; entrance 

17 



Index 



at time of Paul's death, 41 ; con- 
demned to exile, 44. 

Palus-Meotides, Alexander visits, 302. 

Pansilippe, grotto of, 275. 

Paris, attitude of National Guard of, 
164; Alexander induces allies to 
march upon, 164 ; inhabitants of, 
flee before allies, 165; aldermen of, 
wait upon Alexander, 166; allies 
enter, 166; excitement in, caused 
by the armies, 167 ; allied sover- 
eigns quit, 181 ; Napoleon returns 
to, 198 ; suburbs of, inferior to St. 
Petersburg's, 260. 

Parisian society compared with Rus- 
sian, 241. 

Parney, quoted, xi. 

Paul I., certificate of death of, x; as- 
sassination of, xiii, 28 ; proposed 
removal from the throne, 23 ; effects 
of mental suffering on, 27 ; banishes 
Choiseul-Gouffier, 28; alienates the 
army, 31 ; proposed abdication of, 
31 ; sends for Pahlen, 32 ; suspi- 
cion against the royal family, 33; 
friendship for Princess Gagarin, 37; 
reposes confidence in Pahlen, 39 ; 
refuses to abdicate, 40; death of, 
41 ; effect of his death on the na- 
tion, 44 ; attitude of his friends after 
his assassination, 45; finances de- 
ranged by, 47. 

Pawlowsky, Palace of, 279. 

Pestalozzi, system of instruction of, 
152. 

Peter the Great, pavilion of, 279. 

Place Vendome protected by Alexan- 
der, 171. 

Plater, Countess Felicie, receives Alex- 
ander at Towiany, 217; at Vilna, 
256. 

Poland, Napoleon trifles with hopes 
of, v, 132 ; threatened retribution 
for the fate of, 56; hopes for the 
re-establishment of, 57; last hopes 
of, perish at Leipzig, 162 ; Alex- 
ander declared King of, 1 96 ; army 
of, commended by him, 212; mourn- 
ing for him in, 307. 

Pole, a, threatens to shoot the con- 
spirators, 39. 

3 



Poles, excited by appearance of French 
prisoners, 57 ; hopes of, disap- 
pointed by Treaty of Tilsit, 58 ; con- 
tinue to favor Napoleon, 66, 159; 
Narbonne unable to communicate 
with, 85 ; enthusiasm of, at Napo- 
leon's entering Vilna, 96 ; welcome 
Alexander to Moscow, 1 13 ; desire 
to return to Alexander's service, 
173; anxiously await decision of 
Congress of Vienna, 196 ; joy of, 
at election of Alexander king, 197 ; 
welcome him, 207. 

Poniatowsky, Prince, Napoleon rejects 
advice of, 115. 

Portugal, revolution in, 286. 

Postawy, Alexander brings refugee to, 

134- 

Potocki, Count, foot-note on, 209 ; en- 
tertainment for Alexander, 233. 

Poverty of Lithuania, 67. 

Pradt, Abbe, instructions of Napoleon 
to, 105. 

Prague, Congress at, 161. 

Preussisch-Eylau, battle of, 56. 

Prince of Wales, regent for George 
III., 36. 

Proclamations : Alexander's, on evac- 
uating Vilna, 94 ; to his army on 
entering France, 163 ; on entering 
Paris, 168 ; to the clergy, 191 ; to 
his army at Les Vertus, 201. 

Prussia, declines to join Austria and 
Russia, 56. 

Prussia, King of, enters Paris, 166; 
attends French Institute, 176 ; visits 
England, 181; honored by Oxford, 
183; at Vienna, 195; congratulates 
Alexander on his army, 202. 

Prussian soldiers encouraged by Queen 
Louisa, 56. 

Pulhawy visited by Alexander, 193. 

Pultawa, 102. 

Pultusk, battle of, 56. 

R. 

Radzivil, Princess, Alexander's 
friendship for, 55, 194 ; Armidow- 
ska, name given to, 226 ; Empress 
Elizabeth's friendship for, 278. 

Radzivil, Princess Dominique, 235. 



Index 



Radzivil, Princess, nee Grabowska, 
see Grabowska. 

Ratisbon, Diet of, Alexander demands 
reparation for murder of D'Enghien 
in note to, 53. 

Regency, proposed by Pahlen, 34-37. 

Reggio, Duchesse de, see Coucy. 

Reign of Terror, Narbonne quits 
France during, 84. 

Religion, united Alexander and his 
subjects, 113. 

Restoration, brilliant period of, xi. 

Revolution, French, see French Revo- 
lution. 

Richelieu, Due de, see Duplessis. 

Rode, Pierre, foot-note on, 75. 

Romberg, Andreas, foot-note on, 75. 

Rome, King of, 150. 

Rousseau, philosophy of, contrasted 
with Voltaire's, 139. 

Russia, mourning for death of Alex- 
ander in, xv, 307 ; hopes fixed on 
him, 23 ; hereditary succession to 
the throne of, 24 ; absence of death 
penalty in, 44; proud of her army, 
47 ; not alarmed by Alexander's 
liberal ideas, 48 ; murder of D'En- 
ghien destroys harmony of, with 
France, 53 ; Austria and, declare 
war against France, 53 ; sufferings 
of, by enforcement of Continental 
System, 60 ; Napoleon suggests 
union of his army with army of, 63 ; 
Talleyrand negotiates treaty with 
Austria adverse to, 199 ; mourns the 
death of Alexander, 307. 

Russian, court usages, 26 ; penalty 
for their neglect, 27 ; rigorous eti- 
quette relaxed, 46 ; policy seemed 
worthless, 117; costumes of Rus- 
sians, 264. 



Saardam, Alexander visits, 184. 

Sablonowska, Princess, 235. 

St. Andrew, Order of, bestowed by 

Alexander on Markoff, 52 ; on Ko- 

tousoff, 144. 
St. Anne, Order of, for commercial 

classes, 191. 
St. Catherine, Order of, bestowed by 



Alexander on Grand Duchess Con- 
stantine, 301. 

St. Catherine's, institutions of, 296. 

St. George, Order of, declined by Alex- 
ander, 56. 

St. Petersburg, distinguished foreign- 
ers at, 28 ; satisfaction in, at death 
of Paul, 45 ; welcome King and 
Queen of Prussia to, 60 ; Alexander 
returns to, from Moscow, 114; 
" Moscow and," watchword of 
French, 114; citizens of, desert at 
rumored approach of Napoleon, 116 ; 
not built on territory originally Rus- 
sian, 133; party of discontent at, 
210; Alexander returns to, from 
Czarsko-Selo, 259; author's impres- 
sion of, 261 ; Alexander's last view 
of, 2S8. 

Saint-Priest, visits hospitals, 146. 

Sainte-Pierre, writings of, 139. 

St. Sergius, Church of, monument to 
Alexander's daughter in, 290. 

St. Vladimir, Order of, for Russian 
nobility, 190. 

Scawle, Alexander inspects troops at, 
68. 

Schultz, death of, 91. 

Schwarzenburg, Prince von, foot-note 
on, 166. 

Scott, Sir Walter; reasons for inter- 
est in romances by, 81 ; the Em- 
press Elizabeth's appreciation of, 
277. 

Seduisant, name given Alexander, 71. 

Semogitie, Alexander inspects troops 
at, 68. 

Senate (French), deputation from, 
visits Alexander, 168. 

Senate (Russian), votes Order of St. 
George to Alexander, 56. 

Siberia, peopled with exiles by Paul, 
28 ; exiles returned from, 46. 

Sicard, Abb6, visits Alexander, 177. 

Smolensk ; Napoleon advised to win- 
ter at, 115 ; French at, suggest car- 
nival at Venice, 119. 

Sobieski, King John, ancient palace 
of, yo. 

Sobolewoska, Mme., 230. 

Sottikoff, Prince, 189. 



3*9 



Index 



Soult, Marshal, discovers treasonable 
designs, 210. 

Spain, object of Napoleon's designs, 
60 ; Wellington in, 65 ; on the eve 
of a revolution, 249. 

Stael, Mme. de, characterization of 
Alexander, 48; influence over Nar- 
bonne, 84 ; talents of, admired by 
Alexander, 153. 

Steibelt, Daniel, foot-note on, 75. 

Sventsiani, Russian army headquar- 
ters at, 94; Alexander quits, for 
Moscow, 113. 



Taganrog, Alexander's death at, 
142, 302 ; he departs for, 302. 

Talleyrand, Prince, at Erfurt, 150; 
Alexander the guest of, 171 ; nego- 
tiates a secret treaty with Austria, 
199 ; entreats Alexander to aid 
France, 200; defends his Spanish 
policy, 257. 

Thorwaldsen, bust of Alexander by, 

83- 

Tilsit, Treaty of, vi, 58. 

Tisenhaus, Mile., see Choiseul-Gouf- 
fier, Comtesse. 

Tisenhaus, Comte, retreats with 
French army, vi, 122 ; gives up his 
house to Constantine, 67 ; assists 
author to receive Alexander, 88 ; re- 
grets Polish enthusiasm for French, 
96 ; kindness of Duke of Bassano 
toward, 117; shelters the French, 
121 ; continued absence from Poland, 
158; describes letter of Poles in 
Paris to Alexander, 174; receives 
him at Vilna, 211. 

Tolly, General Barclay de, given com- 
mand of Russian army by Alexander, 
114 ; ordered to march to aid Bour- 
bons, 200. 

Tolly, Mme. Barclay de, 93. 

Tolstoi, Count, grand-marshal, 70 ; 
poor memory of, 78 ; announces 
Alexander's return to Vilna, 131 ; 
at Vilna, 214. 

Tormasoff, General, 189. 

Torquinio, experiences of, with Na- 
poleon, 129, 130. 

3 



Torride, gardens of, 266. 

Towiany, Alexander arrives at, vi, 
68, 73 ; last visit to, 302. 

Treaty, of Tilsit, vi, 58; Alexander 
declines to ratify, made by Oubril 
with France, 56 ; Kotousoff makes, 
with Turkey, 66; Talleyrand nego- 
tiates secret, with Austria, 199. 

Troubetzkoy, Princess, 249. 

Troyes, Bishop of, released by Alex- 
ander, 177. 

Tuileries, sovereign allies visit, 179. 

Turks, Markoff's mission to the, 52 ; 
make treaty with Russia, 66 ; Greek 
antagonism to, 248. 

U. 

Ukraine, campaign into, suggested 
to Napoleon, 115. 

V. 

Venice, carnival at, 119. 

Verona, Congress of, 256. 

Vienna, Congress of, 195. 

Vilkomir, Alexander holds a review 
at, 72. 

Villemain, 176. 

Vilna ; the author trained at, xii ; 
Alexander's first visit to, 49 ; French 
prisoners pass through, 57; the au- 
thor moves from, 67; Narbonne 
arrives at, 84 ; Alexander praises 
surroundings of, 88 ; evacuated by 
Russian troops, 94, 96 ; French 
army enters, 96 ; resembles seat of 
war, 99; Napoleon quits, 114; 
French at, expect prompt end of 
war, 117; they celebrate entrance 
of Moscow, 118; Duchesse de Reg- 
gio arrives at, 119; disorder of 
French army retreating through, 
120 ; Kotousoff enters, 124 ; tran- 
quillity restored at, 126; Alexander 
visits hospitals at, 146; troops to 
be garrisoned at, 233 ; lack of en- 
thusiasm for Alexander at, 249 ; 
nobility of, give a ball for him, 256. 

Vitellius, 120. 

Volhynia, campaign into, suggested 
to Napoleon, 115. 
20 



Index 



Voltaire, quoted, 115; philosophy of, 
contrasted with Rousseau's, 139. 

W. 

Walmoden, Count, at Warsaw, 235. 

Warsaw, occupied by the French, 57; 
diet assembled at, to select a king, 
100 ; visited by Alexander, 193, 209, 
221, 300. 

Warsaw, Grand Duchy of, boundaries 
of, fixed by Treaty of Tilsit, 58. 

Waterloo, battle of, 201. 

Weimar, Grand Duchess of, 195. 

Wellington, Duke of, in Spain, 65. 

Wentworth, Mr., 234. 

Werki, estate of Prince Massalski at, 
89 ; Alexander holds a review at, 
249. 

Wiazmintoff, letter from Alexander to, 
184. 

Wilehouska, Mile., appointed lady of 
honor, 86. 

Willanow, King John Sobieski's habi- 
tation at, 70. 



Winter Palace, at St. Petersburg, 262, 
265. 

Wintzingerode, General, foot-note on, 
162. 

Wittgenstein, General, solicitude for 
Alexander, 161. 

Wolkonski, Prince, foot-note on, 71 ; 
chaffed by Alexander, 77; accom- 
panies him to Vilna, 211. 

Wiirtemberg, Princess of, foot-note on, 
194. 

Wylie, James, certificate of, at death 
of Paul, x; foot-note on, 75; Alex- 
ander declines to be treated by, 302. 



Zaionczek, Joseph, foot-note on, 207. 
Zakret, purchased by Alexander, 88; 

accident at, 91 ; turned into a French 

military hospital, 112, 128. 
Zamoyska, Madame, 234. 
Zouboff, Platon ; enemy of Paul's, 30; 

agrees with Pahlen's plans, 31; 

presents act of abdication to Paul, 40. 



321 



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